Gweru

Gweru

Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: Progress
Gweru
Coordinates: 19°27′41″S 29°48′08″E / 19.46139°S 29.80222°E / -19.46139; 29.80222Coordinates: 19°27′41″S 29°48′08″E / 19.46139°S 29.80222°E / -19.46139; 29.80222
Country Zimbabwe
Province Midlands
Founded 1894
City status 1971
Elevation 1,424 m (4,672 ft)
Population (2013)
 • Total 141,862
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+1)
Climate Cwb

Gweru (called Gwelo until 1982) is a city near the centre of Zimbabwe. It is the administrative capital of the Midlands Province, one of ten provinces in Zimbabwe. It became a municipality in 1914 and achieved city status in 1971. The name changed from Gwelo to Gweru in 1982. Before becoming a municipality, Gweru was known as "The Steep Place" after the Gweru river's high banks when it was first settled by the Matabele. Founded in 1894 by Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, modern Gweru was initially established as a military outpost.[1]

The Nalatale and Danangombe archaeological enclosures 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.[1]

Gweru has become one of Africa's busiest trade centers thanks to its production of textiles, dairy foods, footware, and building materials. Gweru is also well-known for vibrant farming activities in beef cattle, crop farming, and commercial gardening of crops for the export market.[2]

Transportation

Railway

Railways arrived in 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 Bulawayo - Harare Line.

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 - Gweru Road. There are only mainroads, no highways or freeways.[3]

Climate

Climate data for Gweru (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average 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)		 13.1
(55.6)		 14.5
(58.1)		 15.1
(59.2)		 11.0
(51.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 139.1
(5.476)		 124.8
(4.913)		 55.9
(2.201)		 29.0
(1.142)		 7.7
(0.303)		 1.9
(0.075)		 1.0
(0.039)		 1.9
(0.075)		 9.3
(0.366)		 35.1
(1.382)		 96.2
(3.787)		 159.4
(6.276)		 661.3
(26.035)
Average rainy days 12 10 7 3 1 1 0 0 1 4 9 12 60
Source: World Meteorological Organization[4]

International relations

Gweru shares an international relationship with the town of Basildon, (Essex, United Kingdom).[5]

Education

The primary and secondary system of education has not changed much in structure for several decades.

Primary schools

Group A

Cecil John Rhodes School

Stanley School

Riverside School

Lundi Park School

Midlands Christian School(Private)

Anderson Adventist (Private) Lingfield Academy (Private)

Group B

Bata School (Financed and Maintained by the Bata Shoe Company)

Sandara School

St Paul's School (Catholic)

Chikumbiro School

Bumburwi School

Muwunga School

St. Micheals Primary School (Catholic)

Senga Primary School

Matongo Primary School

Mpumelelo Primary School

Takunda Primary School

Mkoba 4 Primary School

Takwirira Primary school

Thornhill Airforce

Secondary schools

Group A

Group B

Tertiary Schools
Commercial colleges

Commercial education was not easily available to the majority of Gweru residents especially before independence. There was a surge of new colleges after 1980 when Zimbabwe gained independence and also when commercial courses became a popular requirement in industry.

Midlands College of Commerce It provided courses in most commercial and practical subjects popular during that era for example: typing, bookkeeping, dress-making and shorthand. These were examined by the UK-based Pitman Examinations Institute. This college stopped operating in the mid-1990s following the death of W.H Shumba in 1994.

After 1980 other colleges were soon established:

Correspondence / Distance Education Colleges
Tertiary education

Sights

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.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gweru - The City of Progress". www.mygweru.com. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  2. ↑ "Gweru | Zimbabwe". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  3. ↑ The Automobile Association of Zimbabwe
  4. ↑ "World Weather Information Service – Gweru". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Local Government International Bureau (LGIB) Database of "Twinning Towns

Parliament Research Department, Gweru Urban Constituency Profile, 'Parliament of Zimbabwe', Published: 2011, Retrieved: 28 Apr 2014

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.