Welkom () is the second-largest city in the Free State province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, located about northeast of

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...

which is the provincial capital. Welkom is also known as Circle City, City Within A Garden, Mvela and Matjhabeng. The city's

Sesotho Sotho () or Sesotho () or Southern Sotho is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho–Tswana ("S.30") group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language; South Africa (particularly the Free ...

name, ''Matjhabeng'' means 'where nations meet', derived from the migrant labour system, where people of various countries such as Lesotho,

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

etc. met to work in the mines of the

gold fields Gold Fields Limited (formerly The Gold Fields of South Africa) is one of the world's largest gold mining firms. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company is listed on both the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and the New York Sto ...

. A settlement was laid out on a farm named "

Welkom Welkom () is the second-largest city in the Free State province of South Africa, located about northeast of Bloemfontein which is the provincial capital. Welkom is also known as Circle City, City Within A Garden, Mvela and Matjhabeng. The ci ...

" (which is the

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

and

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

word for "

welcome A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. In some context ...

") after gold was discovered in the region, and it was officially proclaimed a town in 1948. The town became a municipality in 1961. It now falls in the Matjhabeng Municipality, part of the Lejweleputswa District. Welkom was officially declared a city on 14 February 1968.

History

Much of the history of Welkom is centred around the discovery of gold in the northwestern Free State. It was proclaimed a town in 1948, nine years after a major gold discovery was made in

Odendaalsrus Odendaalsrus is the oldest gold mining town in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality in the goldfields of the Free State province in South Africa. History It started out in 1912 as a ramshackle collection of farms and a central church that b ...

, just north of Welkom.

Early mining activity

The first prospecting in the area was done by the Englishmen Mr Donaldson and Mr Hinds on a portion of the farm Zoeten-Inval in 1896. The men discovered a small outcrop which seemed to be a conglomerate pebble reef, but they failed to raise interest among mining companies who at that stage did not believe that there was gold to be discovered south of the

Vaal River The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...

. They returned to England to test the samples they had extracted, but died before reaching their destination when their ship sank in the Bay of Biscay. Prospector Arthur Megson heard of their venture and decided to investigate near the town of Odendaalsrus in 1904. He gathered samples of exposed strata near an outcrop, which by then was part of Hendrik Petrus Klopper's farm ''Aandenk''. He too did not succeed in obtaining any interest from companies until October 1932, when he presented his findings to Allan Roberts and Mannie Jacobs. The area needed to be tested by drilling, and the first borehole was started on 5 May 1933. Jacobs managed to interest two men, Fritz Marx and Peter Woolf, in the venture and the Wit Extensions Company was formed later that year. Although the borehole, which by then penetrated more than 1200 metres, yielded 120-inch pennyweights of gold (roughly 480 centimetre grams per ton), it was not enough to garner financial assistance and the operation had to close due to depleted finances. (For gold ores to be payable in South Africa, the grade must typically exceed 960 cengrams – the equivalent of 8 grams per ton over a 120 cm stope width, which after dilution will yield 4g/t in the mill). However, the discovery of gold-bearing reef in the

Klerksdorp Klerksdorp () is located in the North West Province, South Africa. Klerksdorp, the largest city in the North West Province, is located southeast of Mahikeng, the provincial capital. Klerksdorp was also the first capital of the then Transvaal Repu ...

area in 1933 by the

Anglo American Corporation Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people o ...

encouraged geologists and others with vision to see the northwestern Free State as a potential gold field. Prospecting intensified and the first high values of gold were discovered in 1939. By 1940, sufficient work had been done to prove the existence of gold in the area and thirteen mining areas were later demarcated around what would become the town of Welkom.

Development of the settlement

Welkom officially came into being on 15 April 1947, six years after the first mining lease in the area was awarded to the St Helena Gold Mining Company, and was proclaimed a town on 23 July 1948. On 14 February 1968, after 21 years of existence, Welkom received city status, and celebrated this event with the opening of the Civic Centre by Mrs Martie du Plessis. The construction of this building commenced in 1964.

Apartheid era

During

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

in the years of segregation, the townships of Thabong and Bronville were established for black and Coloured people, respectively. On 8 December 1976, Welkom experienced an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the

Richter magnitude scale The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...

. The most significant damage caused was the total collapse of a six-storey block of flats about 75 minutes after the event. Widespread damage to many other buildings was experienced throughout the city. Despite extensive damage to surface and underground mining structures, only four deaths occurred. During the decline of the Apartheid era, race relations were particularly problematic as many

White South Africans White South Africans generally refers to South Africans The population of South Africa is about 58.8 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The South African National Census of 2022 was the most recent censu ...

felt threatened by the eventuality of a regime change. This was the main cause of the events that transpired on 13 May 1989, when the mayor, a Mr Gus Gouws, was tarred and feathered after officiating at a multiracial wheelchair marathon event. The National Party mayor ran foul of his White constituency when he proposed the opening of a taxi rank in the business district of Welkom. Aggrieved residents of the city then sought to humiliate him to dissuade him from authorising the erection of the facility, by assaulting him and a security guard, while he was officiating at the event. Four men were arrested and charged with the assault.

Recent history

On 20 March 1990, Welkom was struck by a multi-vortex tornado which went through the suburbs. This tornado was part of a 240 km long storm front and had a width of up to 1.7 km. This weather event proved to be the most devastating recorded, from the financial and insurance point of view, in South Africa to date, destroying 4,000 homes.Vista News
/ref> On 26 September 1990, Welkom experienced a seismic event with a magnitude of 4.2, which resulted in two deaths and five injuries. The mining company Pamodzi Gold applied for bankruptcy in 2009 even though it was sitting atop one of the richest and consistently-producing gold veins in the world. The gold mine, President Steyn, was previously owned by the Thistle Mining Co., up until February 2008, and reported a total sale of 487,069 troy ounces of gold from 2004 to 2006. On 29 October 2007, Thistle Gold Mining entered into a 'Sale of Shares and Claims Agreement' under the South African government's

black economic empowerment Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is a policy of the South African government which aims to facilitate broader participation in the economy by black people. A form of affirmative action, it is intended especially to redress the inequalities creat ...

laws, under which Thistle's direct and indirect interests were sold to Pamodzi Gold for $14-million. In 2010, Harmony Gold subsequently acquired President Steyn from the now liquidated Pamodzi Gold and resumed operations.

Geography

Topography

Koppie Alleen is the only hill near Welkom and therefore is aptly named for its oddity. The terrain elevation above sea level is 1435 metres. The largest water catchment is the Sand River to the south-east of Welkom in Virginia's direction. Large saline pans such as Flamingo Pan and Theronia Pan are situated to the south-west of Welkom. Flamingo Pan is coded as an Important Bird Area (IBA)

Communities

* Rheederpark * West bedelia * Welkom ext * Jim Fouche Park * Alma * Flamingo Park * Seemeeu Park * Dagbreek * Reitzpark * Stateway * Doorn * Welkom Central * Jan Cilliers Park * Naudeville * St Helena * Bedelia * Lake View South * Lake View North * Orangia * Welkom North *

Riebeeckstad Riebeeckstad is a suburb 5 km east of the city of Welkom located in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality of the Free State province of South Africa. History It is named after Jan van Riebeeck and was established as an upper-class subur ...

* Sandania * Bronville * Thabong

Streetscape

Welkom is well known for its efficient road traffic design mainly through the use of traffic circles, which has been the basis of worldwide studies. This is encouraged by flow design, the minimum of stop streets and the total absence of traffic lights and parking meters in the Central Business District. There are currently 33 large traffic circles.

Monuments and public art

Welkom has several monuments including: * Aandenk Monument – This borehole memorial is shaped in the form of a key and symbolises the unlocking of the Free State goldfields.(next to Allanridge) * Afrikaans Language Monument * Joanne Pim Monument * WWII Monument * Voortrekker Memorial * Dog Monument * Old Indaba Bluegum Tree * MOTH Memorial * Gold Museum – A complete history of gold and its mining and production was on display. St Helena Gold Mine is not a working mine any more. Until a few years ago It was still possible to visit the mine and its wine cellar at 857m below surface but it does not exist any more. * Museum of Welkom – The public library houses a display of the discovery of gold in Welkom, the town's history and bird and animal life indigenous to this region. * Local Apartheid Memorial – commemorating local citizen's contribution to the Struggle in the

years.

Climate

Welkom normally receives about 401 mm to 550 mm of rain per year, dependent on wet or dry cycles, with most rainfall occurring mainly during mid-summer. It receives the lowest rainfall (0 mm) in July and the highest (70 mm) in January. The monthly distribution of average daily maximum temperatures ranges from 17 °C in June to 29 °C in January. The region is the coldest during July when the mercury drops to 0 °C on average during the night.

Flora and fauna

Welkom is situated on two vegetation units, the Western Free State Clay Grassland and Vaal-Vet Sandy Grassland, these are differentiated by soil types, rainfall and frost. The dominant grass species are '' Hyparrhenia hirta'', ''

Themeda triandra } ''Themeda triandra'' is a species of perennial tussock-forming grass widespread in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Pacific. In Australia it is commonly known as kangaroo grass and in East Africa and South Africa it is known as red grass and re ...

'', ''

Sporobolus ''Sporobolus'' is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family. The name ''Sporobolus'' means "seed-thrower", and is derived from Ancient Greek word (), meaning "seed", and the root of () "to throw", referring to the dispersion of ...

pyramidalis'', ''

Eragrostis ''Eragrostis'' is a large and widespread genus of plants in the grass family, found in many countries on all inhabited continents and many islands. ''Eragrostis'' is commonly known as lovegrass or canegrass. The name of the genus is derived fr ...

'' sp, ''

Aristida ''Aristida'' is a very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family. ''Aristida'' is distinguished by having three awns (bristles) on each lemma of each floret. The genus includes about 300 species found worldwide, often in arid warm ...

'' sp, and other grasses and herbs. Trees and shrubs are infrequent due to heavy frost in the winter months. The grasslands surrounding Welkom also include small mammal communities of

yellow mongoose The yellow mongoose (''Cynictis penicillata''), sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It averages about in weight and about in length. It lives in open country, semi-desert scrubland and grasslands in An ...

ground squirrel Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents ( Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known ...

, Cape porcupine, African mole-rat,

pouched mouse The South African pouched mouse or southern African pouched mouse (''Saccostomus campestris'') is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae, which is viewed as actually representing a complex of at least three undescribed species. It is found ...

, large-eared mouse, four-stripe grass mouse, and multimammate mouse. The De Rust Private Nature Reserve is situated about 25 km from Welkom on the

Kroonstad Kroonstad (Afrikaans directly translated "Crown City") is the third largest city in the Free State (after Bloemfontein and Welkom) and lies two hours' drive on the N1 from Gauteng. Maokeng is an area within Kroonstad, and is occasionally used ...

road and is registered with the Free State Department of Nature Conservation.

Local geology: gold-bearing reefs

Welkom is located on the south-western corner of the

Witwatersrand Basin The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...

. This basin situated on the

Kaapvaal Craton The Kaapvaal Craton (centred on Limpopo Province in South Africa), along with the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia, are the only remaining areas of pristine 3.6–2.5 Ga (billion years ago) crust on Earth. Similarities of rock records fr ...

, is filled by a 6-kilometre thick succession of sedimentary rocks, which extends laterally for hundreds of kilometres.

The De Bron Fault

The Free State Goldfields are divided into two sections, cut by the north–south striking De Bron Fault. This major structure has a vertical displacement of about 1500m as well as a lateral shift of 4 km. A number of other major faults lie parallel to the De Bron Fault. Dips occur mostly towards the east, averaging 30 degrees but this becomes steeper approaching the De Bron Fault. To the east of the fault, a dip occurs towards the west at 20 degrees, although structurally complex dips of up to 40 degrees have also been measured. Between these two blocks, lies the uplifted horst block of the West Rand Group of sediments with no reef preserved. The western margin area is bound by synclines and

reverse thrust Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an aircraft engine's thrust for it to act against the forward travel of the aircraft, providing deceleration. Thrust reverser systems are featured on many jet aircraft to ...

s faults and is structurally complex. Towards the south and east, reefs sub-crop against overlying strata, eventually cutting out against the Karoo to the east of the area. Most of the ore resource tends to be concentrated in reef bands located on one or two distinct unconformities. Mining has taken place as mostly deep-level underground, exploiting the narrow, generally shallow dipping tabular reefs. Harmony Gold mine shaft on R30 to Odensdaalsrus

Harmony Gold mine shaft on R30 to Odensdaalsrus

Basal Reef

The Basal Reef, is the most common reef horizon. It varies from a single pebble lag to channels of more than 2m thick. It is commonly overlain by shale, which thickens northwards.

Leader Reef

The second major reef is the Leader Reef, located 15-20m above the Basal Reef. This is mostly mined at shafts to the south. Further north, it becomes poorly developed with erratic grades. The reef consists of multiple conglomerate units, separated by thin quartzitic zones, often totalling up to 4 metres thick. A selected mining cut on the most economic horizon is often undertaken. The B Reef is a highly channelised ore-body located 140m stratigraphically above the Basal Reef. Within the channels, grades are excellent, but this falls away to nothing, outside of the channels. The A Reef is also a highly channelised reef, located some 40m above the B Reef. It consists of multiple conglomerate bands of up to 4m thick and a selected mining cut is usually required to optimise the ore-body.

Fossils of Matjhabeng

A 2007 palaeontological study done in greater Matjhabeng began a programme of excavation of an early

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58mammoths A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, i ...

, including an array of

proboscideans The Proboscidea (; , ) are a taxonomic order of afrotherian mammals containing one living family (Elephantidae) and several extinct families. First described by J. Illiger in 1811, it encompasses the elephants and their close relatives. Fro ...

perissodactyls Odd-toed ungulates, mammals which constitute the taxonomic order Perissodactyla (, ), are animals—ungulates—who have reduced the weight-bearing toes to three (rhinoceroses and tapirs, with tapirs still using four toes on the front legs) o ...

and

artiodactyls The even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla , ) are ungulates—hoofed animals—which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes: the third and fourth. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing poster ...

, alongside rare carnivores. In total, 29 taxa, including the oldest

Ancylotherium ''Ancylotherium'' (from Greek, meaning "hooked beast") is an extinct genus of the family Chalicotheriidae, subfamily Schizotheriinae, endemic to Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Late Miocene-Early Pleistocene (9.0—1.8 mya), existing for app ...

and Megalotragus fossils in southern Africa were recovered. Some of the taxa from Matjhabeng are shared with

Langebaanweg Langebaanweg is a town on the southwest coast of South Africa, in Western Cape Province. It is the location of the air force base AFB Langebaanweg. Langebaanweg has been an important mining center, with its mai minerals consisting of phosphori ...

, and others with

Makapansgat Makapansgat () (or Makapan Valley World Heritage Site) is an archaeological location within the Makapansgat and Zwartkrans Valleys, northeast of Mokopane in Limpopo province, South Africa. It is an important palaeontological site, with the local ...

, confirming the intermediate status of this locality. Isotopic analysis revealed the earliest indication of extensive grasslands in South Africa, though these grasslands were part of an environmental mosaic that included significant woodland, and probable wetland, components.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Welkom proper had a population of 64,130 people in an area of , a population density of . 60.7% of the inhabitants described themselves as "

Black African Black is a Racialization, racialized classification of people, usually a Politics, political and Human skin color, skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have ...

", 26.9% as "

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

", 11.1% as " Coloured" and 0.9% as "

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

or Asian".

Economy

Mining

Gold and uranium

Welkom's economy centres on the mining of gold and

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

and is the hub of the Free State Goldfields. Welkom has contributed 21% to the free world's gold sales. The city and immediate surroundings are dominated by the headgears and reduction plants of several gold and uranium mining companies, including St Helena, Unisel, Welkom, Western Holdings, Free State Geduld, President Brand, President Steyn, Erfdeel Dankbaarheid, Phakisa, and Tshepong.

=Recent discoveries

= In Sept 2016 Harmony Gold and its partner White Rivers Exploration declared a as to then unknown gold ore body near the current Target shaft. This resource is estimated to have a mine life of about 30 years.

Coal

Welkom also has significant coal reserves. The Theunissen coal field is located in the districts of

Theunissen Theunissen is a small town that has the only wine estate, the Theunissen Wine Farm, in the Free State province of South Africa. It is located about 95 kilometers northeast of Bloemfontein and about 45 kilometers south of Welkom Welkom () ...

and Bultfontein, only some 12 km to the south of Welkom. The section of the reserve able to be mined covers an area of more than 23,500 hectares.

Diamonds

Located about 7.5 km from Welkom, a

kimberlite Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite. It is most commonly known to be the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond called the Star of S ...

pipe, was discovered in 1890 and mined from a single shaft until the start of the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

in 1899. Mining continued after the war until a major aquifer, which was encountered at a depth of 259m, forced the mine to close. It was eventually re-opened by Samada Diamonds Pty Ltd and closed again in the early 1990s. Petra Diamonds operated the Star mine, a fissure 40 km south of Welkom. The Star mine was renowned for its consistent production of high value diamonds. In 2013, Petra commenced a disposal process of its Fissure Mines portfolio. This process did not result in any acceptable offers for the mines and Star was subsequently placed into care and maintenance.

Other minerals

Other minerals found in the Welkom vicinity include calcite,

iridium Iridium is a chemical element with the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density of ...

, isoferroplatinum,

muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavag ...

pyrophylite Pyrophyllite is a phyllosilicate mineral composed of aluminium silicate hydroxide: Al2Si4O10(OH)2. It occurs in two forms ( habits): crystalline folia and compact masses; distinct crystals are not known. The folia have a pronounced pearly lu ...

rutile Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the most common natural form of TiO2. Rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite. Rutile has one of the highest refractive indices at visib ...

and

uranite Uraninite, formerly pitchblende, is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition that is largely UO2 but because of oxidation typically contains variable proportions of U3O8. Radioactive decay of the uranium causes t ...

Industry

Due to the declining gold price in the nineties, the manufacturing industry was promoted as a further means to support the local economy. Heavy machinery support for mining can be found in the Voorspoed area. Various other maintenance industries and services are well founded in Welkom which include engineering, and mechanical repairs. Maize production near the R34 Welkom

Welkom produces goods such as steel, lumber, dairy products, and beef. The city also hosts several major industries such as

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

and

South African Breweries South African Breweries (officially The South African Breweries Limited, informally SAB) is a major brewery headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and was a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller until its interests were sold to Anheuser-B ...

Agriculture

The high water table in the north-western part of the district makes it very suitable for maize production and should remain an important maize producing area. The district is mostly covered by non-arable, moderate potential grazing land as well as marginal potential arable land. The Welkom region forms part of the Maize Triangle, which stretches over three of South Africa's provinces. The region is also a major producer of sunflowers, poultry and beef cattle.

Retail

*Goldfields Mall *Amogela Mall (formerly Liberty Centre) *Boitumelo Mall *Welkom Square *Goldfields

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

*Wernhill Shopping centre (Main shop Checkers (supermarket chain)) *Welkom Shopping Centre (Main shop Pick 'n pay) *Welkom retail centre (Main shops OK & Shoprite) *Boxer shopping centre * Shoprite centre

Sport

Motor-sports

Welkom's most notable sport feature is the multi-million Rand

Phakisa Freeway Phakisa Freeway is a motor racing circuit located between Welkom and Odendaalsrus, South Africa. It is one of the few oval speedways outside of the United States and the only one in Africa. History Phakisa Freeway was built on the same site ...

situated between Welkom and Odendaalsrus, which opened in 1999. Phakisa Freeway is an international standard, multi-purpose motor sport facility. The track features a 4,24 km road course as well as a 2,4 km banked

oval An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one ...

track similar to the

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is one of the few oval speedways outside of the

and the only one in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. The circuit hosted MotoGP's

South African motorcycle Grand Prix The South African motorcycle Grand Prix was a motorcycling event that had been part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship, held intermittently from 1983 to 2004. History The first South African Grand Prix was held in 1983 as th ...

from

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

to 2004.

Soccer

Harmony F.C.'s homeground is the Zuka Baloyi Stadium, a multi-sport facility, that is currently mostly used for soccer. Another soccer stadium is

Vuyo Charles Stadium Vuyo is a South African masculine given name that may refer to * Vuyo Dabula (born 1976), South African actor * Vuyo Mbotho (born 1988), South African rugby union player * Vuyo Mbuli (1967–2013), South African television personality and news prese ...

which was formerly known as Thabong Stadium.

Rugby

The Griffons Rugby Union was formed in 1968 when the late Dr Danie Craven, then the President of

SA Rugby The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board a ...

spread the game to rural areas in South Africa, Welkom was one of four new provinces formed and called North-Free State.

Gliding

Welkom's airport is also used on a regular basis for gliding championships on a National and International basis.

Stadia and other sports facilities

* North West Stadium * Zuka Baloyi Stadium

Parks and greenspace

*Central Park *Peter Pan Park (In ruins due to lack of maintenance from the municipality) *Van Riebeeck Park *West Park

Education

Welkom has a well established education system with some schools reaching their 60-year anniversary. Some prominent schools include:

Primary education

* Aurora Primary * Welkom Preparatory School * Welkom Volkskool * Brandwag primary * Sandvliet Primary * Dagbreek Primere * Bedelia Primary * Steenwyk Primary * The Prairie Primary * Welkom Islamic Primary * Koppie Alleen Primary * Maryland International College * Naudeville Primary * St Helena Primary * President Brand Primary * Reitzpark Primary * Rheederpark Primary * Riebeeckstad Primary * Ebenpan Primary * Western Holdings Primary * Adamsonvlei Primary * Kingdom Academy * Dunamis Christian Primary * Vierhoek Primary * st Dominic's college * st Andrew's primary * Edmund Rice Primary * Polokong Primary * Paballong Primary * Iketsetseng Primary * Tsakani Primary * Tseolopele Primary * Dirisanang Primary * Mojaho Primary * Seabo Primary * Bofihla Primary * Daluvuyo Primary * Lehakwe * Mokgwabong * Lemotso * Dr. Mgoma * Dirisanang Hani Park Primary * Iketsetseng * Moremaphofu * Njala Primary * Embunizweni * Thabong school * Tswelopele * Setshabelo * Hlolohelo * Lenyora * Thembekile * Mantshebo * Seabo * Bronville Primary GoldenPark Primary Thabong Primary

Secondary education

* St Andrews – established in 1963 * St Dominic's College * Welkom High – established in 1954 * Welkom Gymnasium-established in 1953 * Welkom Hoër * Welkom Islamic * Edmund Rice Combined * Adamsonvlei Combined * Eagles Christian Combined * Dunamis Christian * Viehoek Combined * Riebeeckstad Hoër * Goudveld Hoër * Unitas * Leseding Technical School * Riebeeckstad High * Kingdom Academic * Edu-College * Rheederpark High * Welkom Secondary * Paballong Combined * Welkom Secondary school * Lenakeng Comprehensive * Lebokgang Secondary * Thotagauta Secondary * Lekgarietse Secondary * Teto High * Lephola Secondary * Letsete Secondary * Nanabolela Secondary * Welkom Technical High(H.T.S) – established in 1961

Special needs schools

Campus of the Central University of Technology

* Amari for mentally handicapped * St Vincenzo School for the Deaf (located at St. Dominic's Catholic Church) * Orion (Formerly Japie smit) * Leboneng Special School

Tertiary education

* Welkom Technical College * Welkom Technological Institute * Welkom Nursing College * FET College Goldfields – geared towards employment opportunities * Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) satellite campus – is also situated in Welkom. CUT's core competencies are in science, engineering, and technology.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Road

Welkom is connected to

to the north-east by the R730 and the R34. It is also connected to

Brandfort Brandfort, officially renamed Winnie Mandela in 2021, is a small agricultural town in the central Free State province of South Africa, about 60 km northeast of Bloemfontein on the R30 road. The town serves the surrounding farms for supplies ...

and

in the south and to

Bothaville Bothaville is a maize farming town situated near the Vaal River in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality, Lejweleputswa DM of the Free State (South African province), Free State province, South Africa. It is situated 60 km east of the Vaal, ...

and

in the north by the R30. Welkom is connected to

Bultfontein Bultfontein is a town in the Free State province of South Africa with a total population of about 23,400 people. It is situated in the Tswelopele Local Municipality, about north of Bloemfontein. The town site was laid out in 1873; it had been ...

to the south-west by the R710 and to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

Winburg Winburg is a small mixed farming town in the Free State (province), Free State province of South Africa. It is the oldest proclaimed town (1837) in the Orange Free State, South Africa and thus along with Griquastad, one of the oldest settlemen ...

in the south-east by the R73.

Rail

There is a goods rail link with Hennenman to the main

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

–

line. Trains from there go to Johannesburg and

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Air

Welkom is served by a small airport. There are no scheduled flights.

Health systems

Welkom hosts a number of public and private hospitals as well as several specialised clinics: * Bongani Regional Hospital (Public) * Ernest Oppenheimer Hospital (Semi-private) (reopened) * Mediclinic Welkom (Private) * St Helena Hospital (Private) * Rand Mutual Care Hospital (New: Opened on 16 April 2016) Various hospices also exist. Thabong and Bronville also host various primary care clinics.

Notable people

* Mark Richard Shuttleworth – entrepreneur, cosmonaut, and founder of

Canonical Ltd. Canonical Ltd. is a UK-based privately held computer software company founded and funded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth to market commercial support and related services for Ubuntu and related projects. Canonical employs staff ...

Judy Croome Judy Croome (born Judy-Ann Heinemann on 16 December 1958) is a South African novelist, short story writer, and poet, who was born in Zvishavane, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). She received a Master of Arts (English) degree from the University ...

(née Heinemann) – author and poet, matriculated Welkom High School (1975) * Rev

Stephen Brislin Stephen Brislin (born 24 September 1956) is a South African prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was ordained as a priest on 19 Nov 1983 in the Diocese of Kroonstad, South Africa, and became Bishop of Kroonstad on 28 Jan 2007. He has ser ...

– Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cape Town, born in Welkom on 24 September 1956.

Sportspeople

* Jan Hendrik de Beer (Jannie) – Springbok rugby player * Wynand Olivier – Springbok rugby player * Khwezi Mkhafu-rugby player * Hannes Strydom – Springbok rugby player * Bradley Moolman – rugby player * C.J. van der Linde – Springbok rugby player * Joubert Horn – rugby player *

Jandré Marais Jandré Marais (born 14 June 1989) is a South African rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is lock. He represents Bordeaux Bègles in the French Top 14, having previously played for the Sharks in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup. ...

– rugby player, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium *

Peet Marais Peet Celliers Marais is a South African rugby union footballer. His playing position is lock. Career After playing for local Welkom-based side at various youth level, he joined Durban-based side at the start of 2009. He made his first clas ...

– rugby player, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium *

Dewald Pretorius Dewald Pretorius (born 6 December 1977) is a South African cricketer. He is a right-arm fast bowler who debuted for the South Africa national cricket team in the second Test against Australia during the 2001/2002 series. He has not featured re ...

– rugby player *

Franco Mostert Franco John Mostert (born 27 November 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player for Honda Heat and the South Africa national team. His usual position is lock. He was one of the members of the winning Springboks in the 2019 Rugby ...

– Springbok rugby player * Louis Strydom – rugby player *

Whestley Moolman Whestley Moolman (born 4 February 1990) is a South African rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is scrum-half. He represents the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup. Moolman previously played for the Leopards befor ...

-rugby player * Inus Kritzinger – rugby player * Lerato Manzini – professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

for Bloemfontein Celtic in the

Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

* Mosa Lebusa – professional footballer for

Ajax Cape Town Cape Town Spurs F.C. (formerly known as Ajax Cape Town) is a South African professional football club based in Parow in the city of Cape Town that plays in the National First Division. Dutch Eredivisie club AFC Ajax was their parent club and ...

in the Premier Soccer League * Paseka Sekese – professional footballer for

Bidvest Wits Bidvest Wits Football Club, (simply often known as Wits University F.C. or Wits) was a South African professional football club from Johannesburg which played in the Premier Soccer League the first-tier of South African league football system ...

in the Premier Soccer League * Gerard Louis Brophy – cricketer * Brian Mervin McMillan – won South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year awards in 1991 and 1996 *

Dean Elgar Dean Elgar (born 11 June 1987) is a South African cricketer who plays Tests and ODIs, and is the current Test captain. He is a left-handed opening batsman and a slow-left arm bowler. Elgar captained the 2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri L ...

– Protea cricketer. On 11 March 2017, against New Zealand he became the first South African opener to face 200 or more ball in both innings of a Test. * Thandi Tshabalala *

Seabelo Senatla Seabelo Mohanoe Senatla (born 10 February 1993) is a South African rugby union player for the South African Sevens Side. He also plays for in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup. His regular position is winger. Senatla was a member of the So ...

– professional rugby player *

Nick Schoonwinkel Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Place ...

– International Precision Shooter and President of the World Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Federation * Mornè Buys – Professional

Golfer Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wit ...

* Elinda Vorster (Rademeyer) – South African athlete who competed for South Africa to reach the semi-finals of the Women's 200 metres event at the 1992 Summer Olympics inside the Estadi Olimpic de Montjuic in Barcelona, Spain in August 1992, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium * Linda Olivier – South African women cricketer and golfer, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium * Gerrie Sonnekus – Springbok rugby player, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium * Lukas van Biljon – Springbok rugby player, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium * Zarck Visser – South African long jumper (Athletics) – silver medal at 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium * Christo Ferreira – Springbok rugby player, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium * Jaco van Zyl – South African golfer, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality Populated places established in 1947 1947 establishments in South Africa