Gweru, originally known as Gwelo, is a city in central Zimbabwe. It is on the centre of Midlands Province. Originally an area known to the Ndebele as "The Steep Place" because of the Gweru River's high banks, in 1894 it became the site of a military outpost established by Leander Starr Jameson.[2] In 1914 it attained municipal status, and in 1971 it became a city.
The city has a population of 158,200 as of the 2022 census. Gweru is known for farming activities in beef cattle, crop farming, and commercial gardening of crops for the export market.[3] It is also home to a number of colleges and universities, most prominently Midlands State University and Mkoba Teachers College.
The city was nicknamed City of Progress.
History
Gweru used to be named Gwelo. Matabele settlement was named iKwelo ("The Steep Place"), after the river's high banks. The modern town, founded in 1894 as a military outpost, developed as an agricultural centre and became a municipality in 1914.
Geography
The geographical coordinates for Gweru Urban are 19° 27' 0'' South and 29° 49' 0'' East. This places Gweru at the centre of Zimbabwe. The area coverage is almost 46 166 km2. The city is built alongside Bulawayo-Harare railway and the road near the railway spur to Mabuto.
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Nature and wildlife
In and around Gweru there are attractive places, some are man-made and some are natural. There is:
Antelope Park
White Waters
Insukamini Ruins
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1936
2,165
—
1941
5,100
+135.6%
1946
7,237
+41.9%
1951
9,800
+35.4%
1960
27,290
+178.5%
1969
36,840
+35.0%
1974
51,000
+38.4%
1978
66,000
+29.4%
1982
78,918
+19.6%
1992
128,037
+62.2%
2002
141,260
+10.3%
2012
157,865
+11.8%
Economy
Situated along the road and railway between Harare and Bulawayo and near the rail spur to Maputo, Mozambique, Gweru has become a busy trade centre with modest industrial development. Its products include ferrochromium, textiles, dairy foods, leather, and building materials. The surrounding area, with its rich deposits of gold, chrome, iron, asbestos, and limestone, supports a number of mines. The training section of Zimbabwe's air force is in Gweru at the Gweru-Thornhill Air Base.
The city is also known for vibrant farming activities in cattle ranching, and farming including, commercial gardening of crops for the export market. The country's oldest shoe manufacturer, the Bata Shoe Company and the Military and Aviation Museums are also some key features for which Gweru is well known.[3]
Culture
The Boggie clock tower, located at the intersection of Main Street and Robert Mugabe Way, was built in 1928 in memory of Major William James Boggie. The clock tower is one of the city's most famous landmarks.[2]
The Nalatale and Danamombe archaeological sites lie approximately 70 and 85 km to the southwest, the known for their patterned stonework. The remains at these sites date back to as early as the Torwa state during the 17th century, the most substantial being a four hundred-year-old stone wall decorated with motifs known to the tradition of stone-building in Zimbabwe. The surrounding area has rich deposits of gold, chrome, iron, asbestos and platinum and supports several mines.[2]
Tourism
The main hotel in the city is the Midlands Hotel, which was opened in 1927 by the Meikles brothers. This hotel was to be demolished but after many protests by the population it was saved. Another important hotel is the Chitukuko (formerly the Hotel Cecil), located in the downtown area of the city. Both hotels were owned by Patrick Kombayi, a former mayor. The Fairmile Motel is just one mile from the city center on the Bulawayo highway .
Gweru's local newspaper, The Gweru Times, once ceased publishing in 2015 but now operational.
Industry
In Gweru there are big companies that are still operating and are still capable of employing hundreds of employees. Not forgetting future big companies which are SMEs are also listed. These companies are in and around Gweru. Below are the list of companies grouped according to size and type of the industry. Some of the companies in Gweru are Bata Shoe Company, ZimGlass, ZimCast, ZimAlloys, Delta Corporation, Anchor Yeast, and Midlands State University.
Transportation
Railway
Railways arrived in Gwelo (Gweru) in 1902. National Railways of Zimbabwe have the country's largest marshalling yard, Dabuka, on the south side of Gweru. Dabuka plays a pivotal role in rail movement in the country as it is the central hub of the rail links to Mozambique in the east, South Africa in the south and Botswana and Namibia in the south west, lying on the Beira–Bulawayo railway.[5]
Gwelo was once home to the Gwelo & District Light Railway, a 2 ft gauge steam for pleasure railway.
Roads
As a central city (hub), it has direct links to all the other cities and towns of Zimbabwe. It is 164 km from Bulawayo, 183 km from Masvingo, 471 km from Beitbridge, and 275 km from Harare.
Road names used are by destination only, for example the Harare-Bulawayo Road. There are only mainroads, no highways or freeways.[6]
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