Gweru, historically known as Gwelo, is the capital city of Zimbabwe's Midlands Province. Founded in 1894 as a military outpost by Leander Starr Jameson. the settlement grew from an area originally called "The Steep Place" by the Ndebele people, a reference to the high banks of the Gweru River. It achieved municipal status in 1914 and was declared a city in 1971.