Tonga language (Zambia and Zimbabwe) Tonga language (Zambia and Zimbabwe) Tonga ("Chitonga"), also known as "Zambezi", is a Bantu language primarily spoken by the Tonga people who live mainly in the Southern and Western provinces of Zambia, and in northern Zimbabwe, with a few in Mozambique. The language is also spoken by the Iwe, Toka and Leya people, and perhaps by the Kafwe Twa (if they are not Ila), as well as many bilingual Zambians and Zimbabweans. It is one of the major lingua francas in Zambia, together with Bemba, Lozi and Nyanja. The Tonga of Malawi, which is classified by Guthrie as belonging to
R3 road (Zimbabwe) in Zimbabwe connecting Zambia and South Africa. The first is from Lusaka to Beitbridge via Victoria Falls and the other is from Lusaka to Beitbridge via Chirundu, Zimbabwe. The Chirundu Route is shorter but not the fastest. For Trans-African Highway transporters, both Zimbabwean routes are slower and costly. Together with the R5 Highways it forms part of the Beira-Lobito Highway which is the Trans-African Highway Network route number 9. The A1 Highway is currently under rehabilitation together with other regional road corridors in Zimbabwe. Most highways in Zimbabwe are more than 30 years old, outliving their 20-year life span, and