Beitbridge is a district in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe's poorest province, 527 kilometers south of Harare, 18 kilometers north of Messina and 548 kilometers north of Johannesburg. Beitbridge district is located in the Lowveld area. The town lies 6 km ESE of the confluence of the Bubye River and the Limpopo on the border with South Africa. It was established in 1929. The town has a population of approximately 20,000 and serves a district of 80,000 people. An estimated 60 percent of Beitbridge's population is female, reflecting extensive male migration to South Africa.