Maphisa Town's economic activity includes extensive gold mining by both large scale and artisanal miners.

The legendary liberation fighter Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo's home village is 40km South West of Maphisa.

The amenities found in Maphisa include a modern hotel, Minda Mission which provides education from primary to Advanced level.

[1] The small town was named after king Mzilikazi's Chief Maphisa Fuyana who was the regimental head of that area.

[2] The mine was established on the site of ancient African workings which were first discovered by local people in the 1890s and the first claims were pegged in 1894.

Bordering Maphisa to the west is ADA(at times referred to as ARDA) which is the Agricultural Development Authority and used to be called Tilcor before 1980s.ADA at its peak provided employment for a large number of people together with the mines in the area.