Gokwe Centre is a rural town in the Midlands province in Zimbabwe. The town is usually referred to as "Gokwe Centre," since it is part of the larger Gokwe region.
In popular Zimbabwean culture and media, Gokwe is often perceived as a place that is backward or uneducated. Numerous memes reference the phrase "Gokwe yazviita zvakare", which translates to "Gokwe has done it again." Gokwe is often likened to Ohio in the United States.
Background
Gokwe was originally a government station. It housed a district commissioner, police, hospital, veterinary services and other government rural agencies. Primarily for the administration of the district, it was also the base for the control of the tsetse fly and its associated lethal disease trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).
Historical Achievements
Growth Point Status
Gokwe centre was proclaimed a Growth Point in 1982 under the government's growth points policy. In July 2006, this culminated in a state proclamation making it a town.
Town Status
Gokwe Growth Point, then run by the Gokwe South Rural District Council, rapidly became a town, skipping the Rural Service Center status due to its rapid rate of development
due to the Kwekwe-Gokwe Highway which improved connectivity to all parts of Zimbabwe through its Kwekwe end link into the A5 Harare to Bulawayohighway.
Caretaker Commission
The step to establish the administrative machinery of the town included the putting in place of a commission appointed by the minister for local government in
terms of the urban councils act Chapter 29.15.9.2(b). This appointed commission was to run office until the coming in of elected councilors.
The delimitation team divided Gokwe Center into 6 wards for the 2008 harmonized elections. Consequently, six councilors were elected, and as required two special interest councilors were appointed by the minister in terms of the urban councils act to form the first ever Gokwe Town Council.
Subsequent Committees
From the 2013 harmonized elections Gokwe Town Council is set in place and run according to the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15.
Gokwe Town Council is a member of the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe. As of 2016, Gokwe town councilor Esther Senga of Ward 3 (Green Valley) was a committee member of the Presidential Committee of UCAZ.
Operations
Service Delivery
Gokwe Town Council has four departments, namely 1. Human Resources and Administration, 2. Finance, 3. Engineering (Works and Services), and 4. Housing, Health and Community Services.
The town council has built a $300,000 administration block as part of its service delivery.
Refuse collection is done on a regular basis and the council has engaged volunteer organizations such as religious groups, churches and women's clubs for litter monitoring as part of the Keep Gokwe Clean campaign.
Cheziya High School is the most known institution which offers A-level courses.
Commerce and Industry
Industry in Gokwe is dominated by small scale formal and informal entrepreneurs, alongside a number of standard industrial organizations.
Gokwe centre contains many small retail shops, six major indigenous supermarkets, and wholesalers of international standards.
As of the 2022 census, Gokwe centre has 9,189 households comprising a total population of 33,075 people :147. This population includes 14,933 male and 18,142 female residents :78
Government Departments
There are various government departments in Gokwe town that include the
Ministry of Agriculture represented by AGRTEX official and the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Services.
Water Resources Ministry represented by Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) is one other ministry working flat out because all the water that the town needs for both domestic and industrial needs is borehole water. There are no nearby dams to supply the town with cheap water.
There are Four Primary Schools and Four Secondary Schools in Gokwe Town.
Primary Schools
1. St Paul's Primary School
2. Mapfungautsi Council Primary School
3. CZM Primary School
4. Gokwe Town St Agness Primary School
Secondary Schools
1. Cheziya Council High School
2. St Paul's High School
3. Njelele Government High School
4. LOGOS Empowerment Girls High School
Zimbabwe