Kwekwe Company (ZISCO), the country's largest steelworks. It also hosts the Zimbabwe Iron and Smelting Company (ZIMASCO), the largest ferrochrome producer, and one of the biggest power generating plants, ZESA-Munyati, in Munyati, a suburb of Kwekwe. Kwekwe is Zimbabwe's richest city in terms of minerals. Kwekwe town was founded in 1898 as a gold mining town, and hosts Zimbabwe's National Mining Museum. The town remains an industrial centre of the country. The name stems from the Zulu word "isikwekwe", which means "scurvy", "mange" or "scab". Popular belief states that Kwekwe is named after the croaking noise made by the nearby river's
Kwekwe the birthplace of former cricketer Norman Featherstone. A stampede at Mbizo Stadium killed 11 people in 2014. Kwekwe is well endowed with many educational facilities. Most are state-run. For university education, the closest facilities are 60 km away in Gweru, the Midlands Province capital, at Midlands State University. Like most urban areas in the country, the city of Kwekwe is serviced by many schools. Amaveni High School, Mbizo High School and Manunure High School recently expanded to offer A-level classes. Amaveni High serves the high density suburb of Amaveni while Mbizo and Manunure serve the high density suburb of Mbizo.