Gweru is a city in central

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. Near the geographical centre of the country. It is on the centre of

Midlands Province Midlands is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of 1,614,941 (2012). It is home to various peoples. Located at a central point in the country, it contains speakers of Shona, Ndebele, Tswana, Sotho and Chewa, as well as of ...

. Originally an area known to the

Ndebele Ndebele may refer to: *Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa *Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana Languages * Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele *Northern Ndebele language Northern ...

as "The Steep Place" because of the

Gweru River Gweru River (known as Gwelo River until 1982) is a river in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bo ...

's high

banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

, in 1894 it became the site of a military outpost established by

Leander Starr Jameson Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, (9 February 1853 – 26 November 1917), was a British colonial politician, who was best known for his involvement in the ill-fated Jameson Raid. Early life and family He was born on 9 February 1853, of ...

. In 1914 it attained

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

status, and in 1971 it became a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

. 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. It is also home to a number of colleges and universities, most prominently

Midlands State University Midlands State University is a government owned university in Zimbabwe. The university has 9 faculties (Agriculture, Arts, Commerce, Education, Engineering, Law, Science, Social Sciences and Medicine) offering a wide variety of courses and many ...

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

. 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.

Climate

Demographics

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

Economy

Situated along the road and railway between

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

(formerly Salisbury) and

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

and near the rail spur to

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a popul ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, 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 Gweru-Thornhill Air Base is one of the two main air bases of the Air Force of Zimbabwe located near the central city of Gweru, Thornhill Air Base is home to air force fighter squadrons and the Pilot Training School. According to ''Janes Defen ...

. 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.

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. The Nalatale and

Danangombe Danangombe (formerly Dhlo-Dhlo or Ndlo Dlo, alternative spellings Danamombe per National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, Dananombe and Danan'ombe) is a Zimbabwean archaeological site, about eighty kilometres from Gweru, in the direction of Bula ...

archaeological sites lie nearby, the former known for its patterned brickwork, the latter for its Portuguese remains. 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.

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 Patrick Kombayi (2 November 1938 – 20 June 2009) was a Zimbabwean businessman, a former mayor of Gweru and an active member of the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai faction in the Midlands Province. He served in the Senate of Zimbabw ...

, a former mayor. The Fairmile Motel is just one mile from the city center on the Bulawayo highway .

Sports and stadia

Soccer

* Chapungu Football Club Chapungu F.C team was nicknamed Waru Waru and the team is currently playing in Zimbabwe Premier League Soccer League. Its home is

Ascot Stadium Ascot Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Gweru, Zimbabwe. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium for Hardbody F.C and Chapungu United Chapungu United is a Zimbabwean association football, footba ...

. There is also Gweru Sports club which has playgrounds for rugby, bowling and cricket.

Government and politics

Education

Primary education

Group A *Cecil John Rhodes School *Lundi Park School *Riverside School *Stanley School *Anderson Adventist Primary School (private) *Lingfield Academy (private) *

Midlands Christian School Gweru is a city in central Zimbabwe. Near the geographical centre of the country. 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 ...

(private) Group B *Airforce Thornhill Primary School *Bata School *Bumburwi School *Chikumbiro School *Matongo School *Mkoba 4 Primary School *Mpumelelo Primary School *Muwunga School *Sandara School *Senga Primary School *Takunda Primary School *Takwirira Primary School *St. Michael's Primary School (Catholic) *St. Paul's School (Catholic)

Secondary education

Group A * Sacred Heart College (private)https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0zDJPziisMko3YLRSNagwtDQ2sTQ0NTZOMUg1S7NIsTKoME2xMEkxTkxKNEhKMjBLTvaSKk5MLkpNUchITSwqUUjOz8lJTU9VSC9PLSoFANDxGX8&q=sacred+heart+college+gweru&oq=sacred&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j69i59j46j0l3j69i61l2.5111j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 *

Chaplin High School Chaplin High School is situated in Gweru, Zimbabwe, and was started in October 1902. It was started in a building of the Trinity Church (Gweru), Trinity Church, Gwelo and first named as the Trinity Church School (1). The school caters for boys and ...

*Guinea Fowl High School *Nashville Secondary School *

Thornhill High School Thornhill High School opened on the air force base in Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Gweru, Zimbabwe) in January 1955. In January 1958, the school moved to its present site in Gweru. The first Headmaster was Phil Todd who retired in 1961. He was followe ...

*Anderson Adventist High School (private) *

Lingfield Christian Academy Lingfield Christian Academy is an independent, boarding and day school for boys and girls in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Academics Lingfield Christian Academy offers programs developed and examined by Cambridge International Examinations, such as the Camb ...

(private) *

Midlands Christian College Midlands Christian College (MCC) is an independent co-educational high school of about 300 pupils ranging from form 1 to form 6, located in the city of Gweru, Zimbabwe. The college has boarding facilities as well as providing for day-scholars. It ...

(private) Group B * Ascot Secondary School * Fletcher High School * Mambo High School * Matinunura High school * Mkoba 1 High School * Mkoba 3 High School * Senka Secondary School

Tertiary education

* Ambassador College * Central Africa Correspondence College * Commercial Studies Centre * Educare College * Gweru Polytechnic Institute * Herentals College *

International Correspondence Schools ICS Learn, also known as International Correspondence Schools Ltd, is a provider of online learning courses in the UK. It was founded in 1889 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The UK branch was set up in 1904, and it now serves around 25,000 current stu ...

* Kaguvi National Technical College * Mkoba Teachers College * Midlands Christian Training Centre *

* Rapid Results College * Senka Technical Training Centre * Solars College * TopFlight Secretarial College * Zimbabwe Distance Education College *

Zimbabwe Open University Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is an open distance education university in Zimbabwe. Established in 1999,Bata Shoe Company The Bata Corporation (known as Bata, and in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, known as Baťa) is a multinational footwear, apparel and fashion accessories manufacturer and retailer of Moravian (Czech) origin, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerl ...

, ZimGlass, ZimCast, ZimAlloys,

Delta Corporation The Delta Corporation is a beer and soft drink company of Zimbabwe. The company is headquartered in Harare and is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and its stock index, the Zimbabwe Industrial Index. Operations Delta's brand names include: ...

, Anchor Yeast, and

Transportation

Railway

Railways arrived in Gwelo (Gweru) in 1902.

National Railways of Zimbabwe The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), formerly Rhodesia Railways, is a state-owned company in Zimbabwe that operates the country's national railway system. It is headquartered in the city of Bulawayo. In addition to the headquarters, it has ...

have the country's largest marshalling yard,

Dabuka Dabuka is a major railway marshalling yard in central Zimbabwe. It is near Gweru. See also * List of rail yards This article is a list of important rail yards in geographical order. These listed may be termed Classification, Freight, Marshalli ...

, 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 Beira-Bulawayo railway, also called Machipanda railway, Beira-Harare-Bulawayo railway and Beira railway, is a railway that connects the city of Beira, Mozambique, to the city of Bulawayo, in Zimbabwe. It is 850 km long, in a 1067 mm gauge.

. 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.The Automobile Association of Zimbabwe

Notable people

Brendan Ashby Brendan Ashby (born June 30, 1980) is a Zimbabwean former swimmer, who specialized in backstroke events. Since 2004, Ashby currently holds two Zimbabwean records in the 100 and 200 m backstroke from the World championships and U.S. invitational ...

, Olympic swimmer *

Prince (Oskid) Tapfuma A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, Music Producer * Tamuka (Dj Tamuka) Muponda-Makuluni, Music Producer *

Itai (Madiz) Madzikura Itai (Hebrew: אִתַּי, pronounced:''ee-tai'') is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin, and also a Shona name. The name can also be written: Itai, Itahy, Ittai, Ittay, Etay, Eitay, Itay, Ytai, Etai, Itaj, Ithai, or Eatai. Hebrew name Ita ...

, Musician * Clifford (Mr Chiks muShurugwi) Chikerema, Civil Engineer, Music Producer *

Patient Charumbira Patient Charumbira (born 11 November 1987) is a Zimbabwean cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising tw ...

, cricketer *

Shimmer Chinodya Shimmer Chinodya (born 1957 Gwelo, then Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland) is a Zimbabwean novelist. He studied at Mambo Primary School. He was expelled from Goromonzi after demonstrating against Ian Smith's government. He graduated from the ...

, writer * Edmore Chirambadare, footballer *

Gerald B. Clarke Gerald Bryan Sheil O'Cleary Clarke (1 November 1909) was a Rhodesian politician. He was born in Gwelo as the son of Irish-Rhodesian parents, Francis Joseph Sheil O'Cleary Clarke and Margaret Shiel. His father arrived in Rhodesia in 1896 followi ...

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

n politician *

Malcolm Grainger Malcolm Grainger (born August 11, 1975) is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who played for Matabeleland. He was born in Gwelo (now Gweru Gweru is a city in central Zimbabwe. Nea ...

, cricketer *

Gregg Haakonsen Gregg Haakonsen (born 10 May 1980) is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He played four first-class matches for CFX Academy cricket team The CFX Academy cricket team was a first-class cricket team representing the Zimbabwe's cricket academy in the count ...

, cricketer *

Mandy Loots Amanda Toni "Mandy" Loots (born 3 August 1978 in Gwelo, Rhodesia) is an Olympic and national-record-holding swimmer from South Africa. Swimming career Loots swam for South Africa at the 1996, 2000 and 2008 Olympics. Despite being of South A ...

, Olympic swimmer * Orlando Lourenco, tennis player * Paddington Mhondoro, cricketer *

Energy Murambadoro Energy Murambadoro (nickname "Gokwe": born 27 June 1982 in Gweru) is a former Zimbabwean association football Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He has retired from international football with Zimbabwe national football team, Zimbabw ...

, footballer *

Kudakwashe Musharu Kudakwashe Musharu (born 8 January 1987) is a Zimbabwean footballer who plays as a forward for Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League side Harare City and the Zimbabwe national team. Career Club Musharu began his senior footballing career with Under ...

, footballer * Luther Mutyambizi, cricketer * Christopher Muzvuru,

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG), is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infantry regiments in the British Army. The regiment has parti ...

piper Piper may refer to: People * Piper (given name) * Piper (surname) Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics * Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe * Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe Television * Piper Chapman, lea ...

Welshman Ncube Welshman Ncube (born 7 July 1961) is a Zimbabwean lawyer, businessman and politician. He is the founding MDC leader and former President of Zimbabwean political party Movement for Democratic Change – Ncube. He currently serves within the Cit ...

, politician *

Rudolf Nyandoro Rudolf Nyandoro (born 11 October 1968) is a Zimbabwean Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Gokwe since 2017. He was appointed the new Bishop of Gweru in September 2020. A Gweru native, he previously served a parish priest, semina ...

, Roman Catholic bishop *

David Pocock David Willmer Pocock (born 23 April 1988) is an Australian politician and former professional rugby union player. Raised in Gweru, Zimbabwe, Pocock moved to Australia as a teenager and played for the Australia national rugby team. He played p ...

, Australia international rugby union player *

Ray Reed Raymond William Reed (30 April 1932 – 8 May 1970) was a Rhodesian racing driver born in Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia. He was entered in the 1965 South African Grand Prix in his self-built RE (automobile), RE-Alfa Romeo in Formula One, Alfa Romeo, b ...

, racing driver * Nkululeko Mkastos Sibanda, politician *

Alec Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (known as Alec Smith; 25 May 1949 – 19 January 2006) was a Zimbabwe National Army chaplain and son of Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith. His father Ian Smith had married Janet Watt in late-1948, after returning ...

Rhodesian Army The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel ...

chaplain, son of

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...

Thomas Sweswe Thomas Langu Sweswe (born 9 August 1981) is an association footballer from Zimbabwe. Sweswe is a Defender (association football), defender, primarily operating as a centre back, and has played for nine different clubs as well as the Zimbabwe na ...

, footballer *

Gary Teichmann Gary Hamilton Teichmann (born 9 January 1967) is a retired South African professional rugby union player. He played number eight and captained the South African national team, the Springboks, between 1995 and 1999. Teichmann stands 1.95 metres ...

South Africa international The South Africa International is an international badminton tournament held in South Africa organised by Badminton South Africa Badminton South Africa is the national governing body that oversees and manages affairs related to the sport of badm ...

rugby union player

Sister cities

Basildon Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159. It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, United States *

Tsumeb , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = ''Glück Auf'' (German language, German for ''Good luck'') , image_skyline = Welcome to tsumeb.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption ...

, Namibia

References

{{Authority control Gweru District Populated places in Midlands Province Provincial capitals in Zimbabwe Populated places established in 1894