Kwekwe

Kwekwe, also called Que Que, is a city of about 120,000 in Southeastern Zimbabwe, the 6th-largest in the country.

Understand

Main street

Kwekwe is a multicultural city. In and around the city one is assured to come across Shona, Ndebele, Chewa, Venda, Tonga language and Nambya speaking people.

It is a centre for steel and fertiliser production in the country.

The name stems from the Zulu word "isikwekwe", which means "scurvy", "mange" or "scab". The area has attempted to diversify its economic base to education, tourism, and services, attracting a growing campus of Midlands State University.

The town is situated on Zimbabwe's Highveld at an altitude of 1,220 metres (4,000 ft), above sea level. It is located in the tropics but its high altitude modifies this to a warm temperate or humid subtropical climate.

History

Kwekwe was founded in 1898 as a gold mining town. Like much of the Midlands, KweKwe owes its prosperity to the Great Dyke and its mineral wealth which stretches down to Gwanda, some 500 km southwest. The town's name originates from the large population of croaking frogs that populated the Kwekwe River in the early 1900s, hence its original name Que Que. The promise of wealth at the time attracted thousands of speculators from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand. Though the amount of gold found was underwhelming, deposits of chrome, and the production of iron, steel, aluminum and glass, have kept the city growing since.

Climate

The climate is hot and wet during the summer rainy season from mid-November to mid March, with cool, dry weather from May to mid-August in the winter season, and warm dry weather from August to mid November. During summertime, the average temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) at daytime, but it can get above 30 °C (86 °F) on the hottest days.

Get in

It is located in Kwekwe District, in the Midlands, in the center of the country, roughly equidistant from Harare to the northeast and Bulawayo to the southwest.

Kwekwe has paved roads leading to Gweru, Kadoma, Mvuma and Gokwe Business Centre.

See

• National Mining Museum. The museum, dedicated to the mining industry in the country, is one of the main tourist attractions in the city, near the entrance of Gold and Phoenix mine. The museum is housed at Paper House, a wood framed, prefrabricated building constructed and shipped from the United Kingdom to Zimbabwe in 1894. Despite its unorthodox construction, the building remains in excellent condition and is a city landmark. (updated Jun 2022)
• Sable Park is a recreational privately owned game reserve.
• Some small tourist operators maintain hunting and photographic safari licences on farms and concessions near town, where an abundance of wildlife can be seen, including rhino, elephant, leopard, lion and most big antelope (such as kudu, eland, sable, and tsessebe).

Do

• 1 Sebakwe Dam. one of the main tourist attractions whereby tourists can waterski, hunt, view game and camp. (updated Jun 2022)

Professional sports

• 2 Mid West Rhinos. One of Zimbabwe's major provincial cricket sides, they play at the Kwekwe Sports Club. (updated Jun 2022)
• 3 Lancashire Steel Football Club, Baghdad Stadium. Named after a local steel company. (updated Jun 2022)
• Kwekwe Cables Football Club
• Mbizo Stadium. Kwekwe is a major stop for many music groups in the country who perform at this stadium. (updated Jun 2022)

Cope

• 1 Kwekwe General Hospital, in Newtown, five kilometres east of the city centre, close to the Kwekwe Railway Station. The main medical facility in the town. (updated Jun 2022)