Gweru

Published : November 2, 2017 | Last modified on February 12th, 2018 at 9:00 pm

Gweru is the capital of Midlands Province, and is known as the ‘City of Progress’. It is the 3rd largest city in Zimbabwe. Gweru lies on the main Harare – Bulawayo road (A5) 164 KM north-east of Bulawayo and 274 KM south-west of Harare.

History

The modern town was founded in 1894, initially, as a military outpost. The first bank opened in Gweru in 1896, and the stock exchange, opened shortly after, in 1898. The railway, which has been a key driver in Gweru’s rapid progression, arrived in 1902.

Gweru received recognition, as a municipality, in 1914 and achieved city status in 1971. The city’s original name, ‘Gwelo’, was changed to Gweru in 1982, after Zimbabwe gained independence from Rhodesia in 1980.

The first buildings to be built were lodges and hotels and some are still standing to date. The Midlands Hotel in Main Street and Gweru Rural Police Station, are two such buildings. Midlands Hotel used to be the Horseshoe Inn, and Gweru Rural Police Station was once Latham Hotel.

Population

Gweru has 64 037 households, 22 013 are rural and 42 024 are urban. 249 641 people reside in Gweru, the majority of which stay in the urban areas. 54 percent are females.

Of the 249 000 residents, roughly 19 200 are employed in formal jobs.

Economy

Gweru has become a busy trade centre and industrial development. It is the home of light industry manufacturing, with products ranging from, dairy foods, foot ware, building materials, leather and textiles. Agriculture and mining are also key drivers of development in the ‘city of progress’.

Manufacturing

Some of Zimbabwe’s leading manufacturers are housed in Gweru. One such example is Bata Zimbabwe. It is the largest manufacturer and leading footwear retailer in the country. The company was established in 1939, and its factory is located in Gweru. Bata also produces moulds, lasts, finished leather and canvas for export. Other important players in manufacturing include:

Lesaffre Pvt Ltd. It produces yeast and fermentation products. It has a current output 6 000 tonnes of yeast per annum and recently began exporting to Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi.
Zimglass Pvt Ltd. It manufactures glass packaging for alcoholic and sparkling beverages and used to be a major supplier to Delta Beverages.
Sino-Zimbabwe Cement. Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company (SZCC) is a joint business venture between a Chinese Foreign Direct Investment partner, China Building- Material Corporation for Foreign Econo-Technical Co-operation (CBMC), and the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe Limited (IDC).

The cement plant started operating in 2001 and has a production capacity of 250 000 tonnes of cement per annum.

Mining

Gweru’s economy is greatly influenced by its proximity to the Great Dyke, which is a stretch of a rock formation that has important metals such as chromium, gold, nickel, copper, platinum, titanium, iron, vanadium and tin. Chromium, gold and platinum. Mining, in Gweru and surrounding towns, generates significant revenue for the city, mainly through export of semi-processed metals.

Prominent Mines that are in and around Gweru include:

Golden Quarry Mine
Conemara Gold Mine (30km north of Gweru)
Camperdown Gold Mine (30km Southeast of Gweru)
Santoy Gold Mine
Unki Mine *Platinum
Railway Chrome Mine

Agriculture

Gweru lies within the savannah agro-ecological Region 2 with rainfall averaging 700mm, distributed between November and April. The soils are predominantly medium sandy loams.

Commercial farms are spread throughout Gweru and surrounding communities. The main crops are maize, tobacco, soya beans and groundnuts. Livestock rearing, for dairy and meats products, is very common.

Agriculture is a major contributor to Gweru’s economy. Apart from exporting horticultural produce to Europe, Gweru has established horticultural distribution centres, which attracts traders from all around Zimbabwe.

One such distribution centre is Kudzanai Market. Agro retailers occupy Kudzanai Market to sell their produce. Kudzanai market currently accommodates 300 traders, registered with Gweru City Council. The market trades a variety of produce, such as potatoes, tomatoes, onions, butternuts, carrots, cabbages, rape, apples, green beans, sugar beans and groundnuts.

Gweru hosts one of the biggest agro-business events in Zimbabwe. The annual Midlands Agricultural Show is the country’s second largest agricultural exhibition event after the Harare Agricultural Show. In July 2017, the show attracted a total of 165 exhibitors.

Transport

Road

Gweru has a road network of 1 200km. Like the majority of roads in Zimbabwe, most of this network has potholes and is not well maintained. Gweru Town Council estimates that 80% of Gweru’s network of roads is in a bad state.

Rail

Gweru is a major rail communications centre. Besides connecting Harare and Bulawayo, it has additional branch lines leading to Shurugwi, Masvingo, Zvishavane , Maputo in Mozambique, and to South Africa via Beitbridge. Dabuka a few kilometres west of Gweru has developed as a major railway marshalling yard and is the biggest container handling facility in Zimbabwe.

Airport

Thornhill Airport (GWE)
Thornhill Airport is located in the vicinity of Gweru.

Airport Characteristics:

Lat/Long: 19.436394 S / 29.861911 E
Elevation: 4680 feet (1426 meters)
Location: Near Gweru, Zimbabwe
Time zone: UTC+2
Max Runway: 8766 x 100 feet (2672 x 30 meters)
Surface: ASPHALT

Landmarks and Historical Sites

Boggie Tower

Situated at the intersection of Main Street and Robert Mugabe Way, the clock tower was erected in 1928 by Jeannie, the widow of Major William James Boggie in memory of her late husband. This is one of the city’s most prominent and famous landmarks, and is testament to the city’s endurance.

Gweru Memorial (Ndebele uprising, 1896)

This Gweru Memorial was set up by the Pioneer Memorial Fund with the purpose of commemorating those military and civilians who were killed in the Ndebele Uprising, or First Umvukela of 1896.

Naletale Ruins

Also known as Nalatale, these ruins/castles are smaller versions of Great Zimbabwe Ruins. They were probably the palace of Torwa kings and royal associates between early 17^th century. The beauty of the site is enhanced by the strangely shaped cabbage trees, locally named ‘Mufenje’ and the Aloe, which grow out of the walls. The monument itself is set atop a small kopje and commands good views over the surrounding countryside of the Somabula flats.

Zimbabwe Military Museum

The Zimbabwe Military Museum in Gweru serves as the country’s National Army and Aviation Museum. Various displays portray the history of the Army, Air Force and Police.

In addition to the aircraft, visitors can view aero engines, uniforms and equipment associated with Zimbabwe’s military history in the Museum’s seven galleries including the foyer, the military history gallery, armoured vehicle hanger, police gallery, Guinea Fowl School Memorial hut and the artillery hanger.