[1] The name Magude originates from Magudzo Cossa, a Xhosa king who was active in the area in the second half of the 19th century.

Before 1874, the Magude Circunscrição, an administrative unit in colonial Portuguese Africa, was established, but the descendants of Magudzo Cossa retained the traditional role of the chiefs and were incorporated into the government.

[1] The district is divided into five postos, Magude, Mapulanguene, Mahela, Motaze, and Panjane, which in total contain 18 localities.

[1] In the district, there are 7,500 farms which have on average 2.3 hectares (0.0089 sq mi) of land.

The main agricultural products are corn, cassava, cowpea, peanut, and sweet potato.