Gokwe centre

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).

Growth Point Status

The place was proclaimed a Growth Point in 1980 under the government's growth points policy.

Gokwe town is a success case of the government's growth point policy whose results in July 2007 culminated in the proclamation by the state that it becomes a town.

Town Status

Gokwe Growth Point then run by the Gokwe South Rural District Council rapidly turned into a town skipping the Rural Service Center status because of its rapid developmental rate courtesy of the Kwekwe-Gokwe Highway which brought a much needed connectivity to all parts of Zimbabwe through its Kwekwe end link into to the A5 Harare to Bulawayo highway.

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.

Initial Committee 2008

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 affiliated to the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe and Councilor Esther Senga of Ward 3 (Green Valley) is a committee member of the Presidential Committee of UCAZ.

2008 to 2013 Elected Councillors

2008 Local Government Election Results: MIDLANDS PROVINCE: Gokwe Town

1 Tangwara Onias ____ MDC Tsvangirai

2 Sibanda Sithabiso___ MDC Tsvangirai

3 Mashizha Elizabeth_____ MDC Tsvangirai

4 Mudondo Darlington_______ MDC Tsvangirai

5 Mutegwe Lisias ______ MDC Tsvangirai

6 Chipfuko Vengesai_____ MDC Tsvangirai

2013-2018 Councillors

|SEE 2013_Local Authorities Election Results GOKWE TOWN | External Link

(Ward, name and Political Party)

Service Delivery

The town council has built a $300,000 administration block as part of its service delivery.

Gokwe Town Council also owns a restaurant and beer gardens to supplement its revenue base.

Refuse collection is done on regular bases and the council has engaged voluntary organizations such as religious groups, churches and women's clubs for litter monitoring, on the Keep Gokwe Clean campaign.

Commerce and Industry

Industry in Gokwe is dominated by small scale formal and informal Entrepreneurs. However a number of standard industrial organizations are increasingly filtering in.

Gokwe Town apart from scores of smaller retail shops five major indigenous supermarkets and wholesalers of international standards; Spar, Metro Peach, Nyaningwe, Eden Supermarket and Agro Foods are the pride of Gokwe. There are also modern night spots, the Chicago Sports Club, Junior Sports Bar, Gokwe Hotel and Pumba Lodge.

Banks and other financial houses are also in town, the Agricultural Bank of Zimbabwe Ltd. (Agribank) topping the list.

Residential Areas

Gokwe town has six suburban settlements that include the low density, medium density and the high density.

Low density

Medium Density

High density

Population

On estimation there are just less than 30 000 inhabitants in Gokwe town.

In 2012 according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), the town had 6 524 households, housing 10 914 male and 13 140 female mixed lingua residents.

Total population was 24 054, males being 45.4% of the total while female residents were the majority at 54.6%.

By the look of these statistics Gokwe has become bigger than some towns which got town status before Gokwe was even well known business center.

In 2012

Government Departments

There are various government departments in Gokwe town that include the

Parastatals

Parastatal organizations at the center are the

to name a few.

Schools

There are three primary schools and two secondary schools town.

Public Service

Communications

Transportation