Gweru is a city near the centre of Zimbabwe at 19°25′S 29°50′E / 19.417°S 29.833°E / -19.417; 29.833.
Gweru is the capital of Midlands Province. Built along the Gweru river, the original Ndebele name was iKwelo (“The Steep Place”), after the river’s high banks, where umkwelo (a ladder) was used by those who fetched water from it. Initially established as a military outpost, the modern town was founded in 1894 by Dr. Leander Starr Jameson.
The first bank opened in Gweru in 1896, and the stock exchange in 1898. The railway arrived in 1902. It became a municipality in 1914 and achieved city status in 1971.
The name changed from Gwelo to Gweru in 1982. 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 some industrial development.
Its products include ferrochromium, textiles, dairy foods, footware, and building materials. The surrounding area has rich deposits of gold, chrome, iron, asbestos and platinum.
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