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 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.
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.
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)
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 (formerly Salisbury) 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 Danangombe 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.[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]
^Citypopulation.de Population of the major cities in Zimbabwe
^ abc"Gweru - The City of Progress". www.mygweru.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ ab"Gweru | Zimbabwe". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^"World Weather Information Service – Gweru". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
^Mlambo, Alois (2003). "Bulawayo, Zimbabwe". In Paul Tiyambe Zeleza; Dickson Eyoh (eds.). Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century African History. Routledge. ISBN0415234794.
^. Archived from the original on 27 April 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2007.
December 28, 2022
gweru, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citation. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Gweru news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed August 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message 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 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 GweruCityFlagCoat of armsMotto ProgressGweruCoordinates 19 27 41 S 29 48 08 E 19 46139 S 29 80222 E 19 46139 29 80222 Coordinates 19 27 41 S 29 48 08 E 19 46139 S 29 80222 E 19 46139 29 80222CountryZimbabweProvinceMidlandsFounded1894Incorporated town 1914Incorporated city 1971Elevation1 424 m 4 672 ft Population 2022 census 1 Total158 200Time zoneUTC 2 CAT ClimateCwbWebsitehttps gwerucitycouncilsite wordpress com 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 Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 3 Demographics 4 Nature and wildlife 5 Economy 6 Culture 6 1 Tourism 6 2 Sports and stadia 6 2 1 Soccer 7 Government and politics 8 Education 8 1 Primary education 8 2 Secondary education 8 3 Tertiary education 8 3 1 Defunct colleges and universities 9 Media 10 Industry 11 Transportation 11 1 Railway 11 2 Roads 12 Notable people 13 Sister cities 14 See also 15 ReferencesHistory EditGweru 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 EditThe 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 km The city is built alongside Bulawayo Harare railway and the road near the railway spur to Mabuto Climate Edit Climate data for Gweru 1961 1990 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearAverage high C F 26 3 79 3 25 8 78 4 25 8 78 4 24 7 76 5 22 9 73 2 20 6 69 1 20 5 68 9 23 3 73 9 26 8 80 2 28 3 82 9 27 4 81 3 26 3 79 3 24 9 76 8 Average low C F 15 3 59 5 15 1 59 2 13 8 56 8 11 3 52 3 7 6 45 7 4 9 40 8 4 5 40 1 6 5 43 7 10 0 50 0 13 1 55 6 14 5 58 1 15 1 59 2 11 0 51 8 Average rainfall mm inches 139 1 5 48 124 8 4 91 55 9 2 20 29 0 1 14 7 7 0 30 1 9 0 07 1 0 0 04 1 9 0 07 9 3 0 37 35 1 1 38 96 2 3 79 159 4 6 28 661 3 26 04 Average rainy days 12 10 7 3 1 1 0 0 1 4 9 12 60Source World Meteorological Organization 4 Demographics EditThis section is empty You can help by adding to it October 2019 Nature and wildlife EditIn and around Gweru there are attractive places some are man made and some are natural There is Antelope Park White Waters Insukamini RuinsHistorical populationYearPop 19362 165 19415 100 135 6 19467 237 41 9 19519 800 35 4 196027 290 178 5 196936 840 35 0 197451 000 38 4 197866 000 29 4 198278 918 19 6 1992128 037 62 2 2002141 260 10 3 2012157 865 11 8 Economy EditSituated along the road and railway between Harare formerly Salisbury 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 EditThe 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 Danangombe 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 2 Tourism Edit 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 Sports and stadia Edit Soccer Edit Chapungu Football ClubChapungu F C team was nicknamed Waru Waru and the team is currently playing in Zimbabwe Premier League Soccer League Its home is Ascot Stadium There is also Gweru Sports club which has playgrounds for rugby bowling and cricket Government and politics EditThis section is empty You can help by adding to it October 2019 Education EditPrimary education Edit Group A Cecil John Rhodes School Lundi Park School Riverside School Stanley School Anderson Adventist Primary School private Lingfield Academy private Midlands Christian School 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 Edit Group A Sacred Heart College private https www google com search gs ssp eJzj4tVP1zc0zDJPziisMko3YLRSNagwtDQ2sTQ0NTZOMUg1S7NIsTKoME2xMEkxTkxKNEhKMjBLTvaSKk5MLkpNUchITSwqUUjOz8lJTU9VSC9PLSoFANDxGX8 amp q sacred heart college gweru amp oq sacred amp aqs chrome 2 69i57j69i59j46j0l3j69i61l2 5111j0j1 amp sourceid chrome amp ie UTF 8Chaplin High School Guinea Fowl High School Nashville Secondary School Thornhill High School Anderson Adventist High School private Lingfield Christian Academy private Midlands Christian College 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 SchoolTertiary education Edit Ambassador College Central Africa Correspondence College Commercial Studies Centre Educare College Gweru Polytechnic Institute Herentals College International Correspondence Schools Kaguvi National Technical College Mkoba Teachers College Midlands Christian Training Centre Midlands State University Rapid Results College Senka Technical Training Centre Solars College TopFlight Secretarial College Zimbabwe Distance Education College Zimbabwe Open University Mount Hermon Theological SeminaryDefunct colleges and universities Edit Midlands College of Commerce closed 1994 Media EditGweru s local newspaper The Gweru Times once ceased publishing in 2015 but now operational Industry EditIn 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 EditRailway Edit 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 amp District Light Railway a 2 ft gauge steam for pleasure railway Roads Edit 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 Notable people EditSee also Category People from Gweru Brendan Ashby Olympic swimmer Prince Oskid Tapfuma Music Producer Tamuka Dj Tamuka Muponda Makuluni Music Producer Itai Madiz Madzikura Musician Clifford Mr Chiks muShurugwi Chikerema Civil Engineer Music Producer Patient Charumbira cricketer Shimmer Chinodya writer Edmore Chirambadare footballer Gerald B Clarke Rhodesian politician Malcolm Grainger cricketer Gregg Haakonsen cricketer Mandy Loots Olympic swimmer Orlando Lourenco tennis player Paddington Mhondoro cricketer Energy Murambadoro footballer Kudakwashe Musharu footballer Luther Mutyambizi cricketer Christopher Muzvuru Irish Guards piper Welshman Ncube politician Rudolf Nyandoro Roman Catholic bishop David Pocock Australia international rugby union player Ray Reed racing driver Nkululeko Mkastos Sibanda politician Alec Smith Rhodesian Army chaplain son of Ian Smith Thomas Sweswe footballer Gary Teichmann South Africa international rugby union playerSister cities Edit Basildon England United Kingdom 7 Manchester United States Tsumeb NamibiaSee also EditList of cities and towns in ZimbabweReferences Edit Citypopulation de Population of the major cities in Zimbabwe a b c Gweru The City of Progress www mygweru com Retrieved 14 November 2016 a b Gweru Zimbabwe Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 14 November 2016 World Weather Information Service Gweru World Meteorological Organization Retrieved 25 October 2015 Mlambo Alois 2003 Bulawayo Zimbabwe In Paul Tiyambe Zeleza Dickson Eyoh eds Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century African History Routledge ISBN 0415234794 The Automobile Association of Zimbabwe Local Government International Bureau LGIB Database of Twinning Towns Archived from the original on 27 April 2007 Retrieved 16 April 2007 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gweru amp oldid 1128587128, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
