Gweru: A Key Zimbabwean Secondary City

In this chapter we trace the origins and colonization of Gweru, a key Zimbabwean secondary city. Gweru quickly developed into a major economic contributor as a major transportation and industrial center, a provincial capital, and an agricultural service center. We follow the contestation between government and City Council for responsibility for African housing. The underdevelopment of segregated township housing is traced through the decades, with critical negative impacts on African households. Lack of commitment and investment on the part of City Council resulted in severe shortages of affordable housing at Independence. We trace the rise of lodging as an important option for low-income urbanites within a hostile environment. Finally, we situate this lodging case study within translocality and within (Harvey in Spaces of global capitalism. A theory of uneven geographical development, Verso, 2019) spatiality, detail the five primary research methodologies, and set the context within which the case study is enacted.