Gweru


Gweru, historically known as Gwelo, is the capital city of Zimbabwe's Midlands Province. Founded in 1894 as a military outpost by . the settlement grew from an area originally called "The Steep Place" by the Ndebele people, a reference to the high banks of the Gweru river. It achieved municipal status in 1914 and was declared a city in 1971.
As for the 2022 census, Gweru has a population of 121 712 in the Rural district and 161 292 in the Urban district.The City Serves as a regional hub for agriculture, particularly beef cattle ranching, crop farming and commercial gardening for export. In addition to its economic role, Gweru is an educational centre home to institutions such as Midlands State University, Mkoba Teachers College and Gweru Polytechnic. The city is nicknamed City of Progress.
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History

Gweru used to be named Gwelo. Matabele settlement was named iKwelo, 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.

Nature and wildlife

In and around Gweru there are attractive places, some are man-made and some are natural. There is:

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.

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 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.

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, 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

Soccer

Chapungu Football Club
As of 2025, TelOne play in the Zimbabwe Premier League Soccer League at the Bata Stadium.
Chapungu F.C previously played in the ZPSL. Its home was the Ascot Stadium.

Education

Primary schools include the private
Midlands Christian School.
Secondary schools include
Lingfield Christian Academy and Midlands Christian College, and Chaplin High School and Fletcher High School.
Institutes of higher education include

Media

Gweru's local newspaper, The Gweru Times, once ceased publishing in 2015 but now operational.

Transportation

Railway

Railways arrived in Gwelo 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.
Gwelo was once home to the Gwelo & District Light Railway, a 2 ft gauge steam for pleasure railway.

Roads

As a central city, 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.

Notable people

Sister cities