Gweru, town, central Zimbabwe, on the Gweru River. The original Matabele settlement was named iKwelo (“The Steep Place”), after the river’s high banks. The modern town, founded in 1894 as a military outpost, developed as an agricultural centre and became a municipality in 1914. Situated along the road and railway between Harare (formerly Salisbury) 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, footwear, and building materials. The surrounding area, with its rich deposits of gold, chrome, iron, asbestos, and limestone, supports a number of mines. The training section of Zimbabwe’s air force is in Gweru. Pop. (2002) 140,806; (2012) 154,825.