Welkom
latest news & developments
Legalising South Africa’s illegal mining: The key to overcoming its deadly consequences
The dark and dangerous world fuels international criminal syndicates that control the illicit gold economy and as organised crime grips the country, it infiltrates our political…
Stress, tears and struggles with Tshiamiso Trust
Trust had paid out more than R700m but too many claimants ‘are being misdiagnosed, incorrectly classified or rejected’, say activists
Luthuli House stands aside as racist Free State mayor carries on in role
Welkom mayor Nkosinjani Speelman has allegedly been continuing to perform his duties, despite his ‘suspension’
A greybeard lost in his family’s land
His father was robbed of freedom and of his land, now he hopes justice will be won for those to come
Welkom land hearings: ‘The land belongs to the people’
‘The land belongs to the people. Not any individual owns the land. People own property, not land’
Health MEC’s deadly PR parade
As Benny Malakoane showed off progress in Free State, 317 patients were left in the dark over their cancer status.
SA yellow maize drops on forecast of rain
An expectation of rain in maize-producing areas has seen the price of the yellow variety fall to a three-week low.
The killing that shook Welkom
The brutal slaying of a young man whose body was found cut up has unsettled the once quiet town. <b>Eamon Allan</b> goes home to see what happened.
Ex-miners who yearn to breathe easier
In a bumpy backstreet in Mthatha stands the offices of the ex-mineworkers’ union, founded in 1987. There are seven stacks of dusty files in one corner, each the height of an…
Dying for gold
The recent tragedy in Welkom has not deterred illegal miners from going back underground. Monako Dibetle finds out what drives them.
Mining for gold, dicing with death
At the time of writing on Thursday, the bodies of 76 illegal miners had been brought to the surface at Harmony Gold’s Eland shaft in Welkom.
‘I would die for the party’
On a hot Saturday afternoon in Thabong, Welkom, ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe was approached by a visibly disgruntled 85-year-old woman.
Motlanthe hits the campaign trail in Welkom
President Kgalema Motlanthe said on Saturday that burglary and housebreaking should be taken more seriously by the police and courts.
Stars shine over Bay United
Free State Stars registered their first victory of the Absa Premiership season when they beat Bay United 3-2 at the Welkom Stadium on Sunday.
Gold Fields says strike ends, all workers safe
Gold Fields, the world’s fourth-largest gold producer, on Friday confirmed that the illegal strike at its Beatrix mine near Welkom in the Free State had been called off.