Gweru Gweru Gweru (named Gwelo until 1982) is a city in central Zimbabwe. Located near the geographical centre of the country, it is the capital of Midlands Province. Originally an area known to the indigenous Ndebele as "The Steep Place" because of the Gweru River's high banks, in 1894 it became the site of a military outpost established by Leander Starr Jameson. In 1914 it attained municipal status, and in 1971 it became a city. The city has a population of 141,862 as of 2013. Gweru is known for vibrant farming activities in beef cattle, crop farming, and commercial gardening of
Kwekwe ammonia required in the manufacture of fertiliser using the world's largest electrolysis plant. This requires half the electricity available from the Kariba hydroelectric power station. The main retailers and banks in the country have branches in Kwekwe. OK and TM Supermarkets have outlets along the main street in the town. Kingdom Bank, Trust Bank, Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, CBZ Bank, Stanbic Bank, Allied Bank and Ecobank all maintain branches in city. Despite massive government intrusion, some small tourist operators maintain hunting and photographic safari licences on farms and concessions near town, where an abundance of wildlife can be seen,