Mbalabala (Balla Balla until 1982) is a village on the main Beitbridge-Bulawayo road (at the junction with the Filabusi Road) in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. Situated approximately 41 miles (66 km) south-east of the city of Bulawayo. The name is derived from the Ndebele name for the greater kudu (scientific name: Tragelaphus strepsiceros). It was originally rendered Balla Balla by Europeans, which was altered to its present name in 1982 by the Zimbabwean government in order to coincide closer with the local pronunciation. * v * t * e