Welkom () is a 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. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, located about northeast of

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

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

Sesotho Sotho (), also known as ''Sesotho'' (), Southern Sotho, or ''Sesotho sa Borwa'' is a Southern Bantu languages, Southern Bantu language spoken in Lesotho as its national language and South Africa where it is an official language. Like all Ba ...

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

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

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 St ...

. A settlement was laid out on a farm named "

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

" (which is the

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

and

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

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. Overview In ...

") 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.

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, just north of Welkom.

Early mining activity

The first prospecting in the area was done by the

Englishmen The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common ancestry, history, and culture. The English identity began with the Anglo-Saxons, when they we ...

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 Oce ...

. 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 The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

. 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), North West Province, South Africa. Klerksdorp is located southeast of Mahikeng, the provincial capital. Klerksdorp was also the first capital of the then Transvaal Republic and u ...

area in 1933 by the

Anglo American Corporation Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from 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 of British de ...

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: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

in the years of segregation, the townships of Thabong and Bronville were established for black and

Coloured Coloureds () are multiracial people in South Africa, Namibia and, to a smaller extent, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Their ancestry descends from the interracial mixing that occurred between Europeans, Africans and Asians. Interracial mixing in South ...

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 Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

. 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. Tempest court welkom 1976 earthquake

During the decline of the Apartheid era, race relations were particularly problematic as many

White South Africans White South Africans are South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original colonists, known as Afr ...

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 Tarring and feathering is a form of public torture where a victim is stripped naked, or stripped to the waist, while wood tar (sometimes hot) is either poured or painted onto the person. The victim then either has feathers thrown on them or is ...

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.

1990–present

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 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 cr ...

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. In 2023, an explosion at an illegal mine killed about 30 people.

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)

Neighborhoods

* 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 * 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. City of Welkom Municipal and Mayors offices

City of Welkom Municipal and Mayors offices

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 city'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 ''Hyparrhenia hirta'' is a species of grass known by the common names common thatching grass and Coolatai grass. It is native to much of Africa and Eurasia, and it is known on other continents as an introduced species. In eastern Australia it is ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 Poaceae, 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 de ...

'' sp, ''

Aristida ''Aristida'' is a very nearly Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family. ''Aristida'' is distinguished by having three Awn (Botany), awns (bristles) on each lemma (botany), lemma of each floret. The gen ...

'' 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 A ...

ground squirrel Ground squirrels are rodents of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) that generally live on the ground or in burrows, rather than in trees like the tree squirrels. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones ar ...

Cape porcupine The Cape porcupine (''Hystrix africaeaustralis''), Cape crested porcupine or South African porcupine, is a species of Old World porcupine native to central and southern Africa. Description left, 180px, Porcupine head Cape porcupines are the la ...

, African mole-rat, pouched mouse, 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 ( in Afrikaans) is a town in Free State, South Africa, consisting of the following suburbs: Brentpark, Constantia, Constantia Park, Dawid Malanville, Elandia, Gelukwaarts, Goedgedacht, Heuningspruit, Industria, Jordania, Koek ...

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, wh ...

. This basin is situated on the Kaapvaal craton, is filled by a 6-kilometre thick succession of

sedimentary rocks Sedimentary rocks are types of rock formed by the cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or deposited at Earth's surface. Sedim ...

, 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 1500 m 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

syncline In structural geology, a syncline is a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure, whereas an anticline is the inverse of a syncline. A synclinorium (plural synclinoriums or synclinoria) is a large syncline with superimposed ...

s and

reverse thrust Reverse or reversing may refer to: Arts and media *Reverse (Eldritch album), ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001 *Reverse (2009 film), ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film *Reverse (2019 film), ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian cr ...

s faults and is structurally complex. Towards the south and east, reefs sub-crop against overlying

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of Rock (geology), rock or sediment characterized by certain Lithology, lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by v ...

, eventually cutting out against the

Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe Khoemana (also known as !Orakobab or Korana) word is a semidesert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is ...

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 2 m thick. It is commonly overlain by shale, which thickens northwards.

Leader Reef

The second major reef is the Leader Reef, located 15–20 m 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 Quartzite is a hard, non-Foliation (geology), foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usuall ...

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 140 m

stratigraphical Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrati ...

ly 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 40 m 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 (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58mammoths A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabi ...

, including an array of

proboscideans Proboscidea (; , ) is 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. Three liv ...

, perissodactyls and

artiodactyls Artiodactyls are placental mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla ( , ). Typically, they are ungulates which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes (the third and fourth, often in the form of a hoof). The other thre ...

, 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 (11.6—1.8 mya), existing for ...

and

Megalotragus ''Megalotragus'' (from Greek ''mega'' (μέλα) 'great' and ''tragos'' (τράγος) 'goat') is a genus of very large African alcelaphines that lived during the Pliocene to early Holocene.Thackeray, John Francis. (2015). Faunal Remains from Ho ...

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 main minerals consisting of phosphor ...

, 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 loca ...

, 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 racial 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 dark skin and ofte ...

", 26.9% as "

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

", 11.1% as "

" and 0.9% as " Indian or Asian".

Economy

Mining

Gold and uranium

Welkom's economy centres on the mining of gold and

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, 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. Ura ...

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 an 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 as the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an 83.5-Car ...

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

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

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 Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

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

, isoferroplatinum,

muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula KAl2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage y ...

, pyrophylite,

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 vis ...

and uranite.

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 cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

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-Bu ...

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 gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

*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 ShopRite is an American retailers' cooperative of supermarkets with stores in six states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York (state), New York and Pennsylvania. Based in Keasbey, New Jersey, ShopRite consists of 50 individua ...

centre

Sport

Motor-sports

Welkom's most notable sport feature is the multi-million Rand Phakisa Freeway 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 of mathematics (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.), it is given a more precise definition, which may inc ...

track similar to the

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway (track complex formerly known as Las Vegas Speedway Park from 1993 to 1996, Las Vegas Speedway in 1992, Las Vegas International Speedway from 1990 to 1992, as the Las Vegas International Speedrome from 1972 to 1990) is a ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. 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. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The circuit hosted

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

's South African motorcycle Grand Prix from

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

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 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 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:

Secondary education

* St Andrews – established in 1963 * St Dominic's College * Welkom High – established in 1954 * Welkom-Gimnasium – established in 1953 * Welkom Islamic * Edmund Rice Combined * Adamsonvlei Combined * Dunamis Christian * Vierhoek Combined * Riebeeckstad Hoërskool * Goudveld Hoërskool * Unitas * Leseding Technical School * Riebeeckstad High School * Kingdom Academy * Edu-College * Rheederpark High School * 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 R34 may refer to: * Nissan Skyline (R34), a mid-size car ** Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), a sports car * R34 (New York City Subway car) * R34 (South Africa) * HM Airship ''R.34'', a rigid airship of the Royal Air Force * , a destroyer of the Royal Na ...

. It is also connected to

Brandfort Brandfort, officially renamed Winnie Mandela in 2021, is a small agricultural town in the central Free State (province), Free State province of South Africa, about 60 km northeast of Bloemfontein on the R30 (South Africa), R30 road. The town s ...

and

in the south and to Bothaville 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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and

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

in the south-east by the R73.

Rail

There is a goods rail link with Hennenman to the main

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

–

line. Trains from there go to Johannesburg and

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, 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. * Judy Croome (née Heinemann) – author and poet, matriculated Welkom High School (1975) * Rev Stephen Brislin – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cape Town, born in Welkom on 24 September 1956.

Sportspeople

Dricus Du Plessis Dricus du Plessis (born 14 January 1994), also known by his initials DDP, is a South African professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting ...

– mixed martial artist,

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Middleweight Champion * 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 – rugby player, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium * Peet Marais – rugby player, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium * Dewald Pretorius – rugby player * Franco Mostert – Springbok rugby player * Louis Strydom – 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 lea ...

for

Bloemfontein Celtic Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club (simply known as Celtic) is a South African soccer club based in Bloemfontein. Bloemfontein Celtic had a large fan base in the Free State and competed in the Premiership before selling their status to Royal ...

in the Premiership *

Mosa Lebusa Mosa Lebusa (born 10 October 1992) is a South African professional soccer player who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, ...

– 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 ma ...

in the Premiership * 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 Premiership the first-tier of South African league football system. It was ni ...

in the Premiership * 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 played Tests and ODIs, and also a former Test captain. He is a left-handed opening batter and a slow-left arm bowler. Elgar captained the 2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri La ...

– 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 – professional rugby player *

Elinda Vorster Elinda Vorster (née Rademeyer; born 8 September 1965 in Cape Town) is a retired South African athlete who specialised in sprinting events. She represented her country at the 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1993 World Championships. Her personal b ...

(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 Linda Olivier (born 17 April 1965) is a South African former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter She appeared in 28 One Day Internationals for South Africa between 1997 and 2000. She captained the side on their tours of Australia and ...

– 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 Zarck Visser (born 15 September 1989) is a South African athlete specialising in the long jump. He won silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly ...

– 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 Jaco Phillipus van Zyl (born 23 February 1979) is a professional golfer from South Africa. Early life and amateur career Van Zyl was born in Pretoria. He won the South African Amateur in 2000. Professional career In 2001, Van Zyl turned pr ...

– South African golfer, who matriculated at Welkom-Gimnasium

References

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