Welkom: 13 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

Welkom is situated 140 km North East of Bloemfontein in South Africa’s Free State Province. There’s probably quite a bit that you did not know about this city (which is known for its traffic circles).

Here are 13 facts you might not know about Welkom

1. It’s South Africa’s youngest town and has been the centre of the gold fields since 1947.

2. The town sprung up after gold was discovered on a farm called St Helena.

3. It’s the 2nd biggest city in the Free State. Welkom has grown perhaps with a faster rate as Johannesburg and today more than 400,000 people call the city their home.

4. The word welkom is Afrikaans and Dutch for welcome.

5. The city’s system of traffic circles were so well designed that are still only a few traffic lights in the city, despite its size.

6. The city has many monument has many monuments including, Aandek Monument, Afrikaans Language Monument, Joanne Pim Monument, WWII Monument, Voortrekker Memorial, Dog Monument, Old Indaba bleugum tree and MOTH Memorial.

7. Phakisa Raceway on the edge of the city is South Africa’s newest racetrack. The racetrack consists of both a high speed oval and a well designed conventional track and is known internationally as a Grand Prix racetrack.

8. Mark Shuttleworth (entrepeneur and the first African in space), Jannie de Beer (Springbok rugby player), CJ van der Linde (Springbok rugby player),  Wynand Olivier (Bulls and Springbok rugby player) and Brian McMillan (South African cricketer) were all born in the city.

9. The city’s best thespians and ballet dancers grace the modern Ernest Oppenheimer Theatre complex. Named after the businessman who planned the layout of Welkom.

10. Welkom is served by a small airport and a branch of the main railway between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

11.  Welkom experienced a notable earthquake in 1976 measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, which caused the collapse of a six-storey building and significant damage but resulted in only four deaths.

12. Since its peak in the 1980s, Welkom has experienced significant economic decline primarily due to the depletion of gold seams and a contraction of the gold mining industry which was the city’s economic backbone.

In 1987, the gold mining sector employed about 184,600 people, making up 67% of the total workforce in the region. However, by 2010, approximately 150,000 mining jobs had been lost, leaving only around 35,700 jobs in mining, which comprised about 42% of the workforce.

13. Welkom’s manufacturing sector, largely dependent on mining, also declined drastically with 71% of its jobs vanishing between 1987 and 2010. This economic downturn led to widespread unemployment, out-migration, and social challenges for Welkom and its surrounding areas.

Well, there you have it, 13 interesting facts you might not have known about Welkom. If I’ve left out something important, feel free to comment below.

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