Lalapanzi is a small village in the Midland province in Zimbabwe. It straddles the Great Dyke, a mineral-rich geological formation that runs from the north east of Zimbabwe to the south-west through the centre of the country. The village name means “to lie down” and may have been given to the place by transport riders in early days because the oxen drawing the wagons travelling from Fort Charter to Gweru often got bogged down in the vleis during the wet weather. They sank up to their bellies in the mud and it looked as if they were lying down - hence lala - to lie and panzi - down.The town itself was established in 1908 when a railway siding was opened on the Gweru – Masvingo railway line when the chrome from the nearby mines in the Great Dyke was loaded at the siding.