Welkom

Welkom is a word in Dutch and Afrikaans meaning "welcome." In everyday use it functions as a greeting or invitation and appears on signs, invitations, and at the start of events. The etymology combines wel (well, good) and kom (come), conveying the sense of a courteous reception or invitation to enter.

Welkom is also the name of a city in the Free State province of South Africa. The town arose in the mid-20th century as a mining settlement serving gold fields in the region and developed into a regional center for commerce, services, and manufacturing. Its origins are tied to planned urban development around mining activity, and the city remains economically linked to the mining sector.

Demographics and culture reflect South Africa's diversity, with a substantial Afrikaans-speaking community alongside speakers of English and other languages such as Sesotho. Afrikaans is widely used in education and daily life, while the town’s population also interacts across linguistic and cultural lines as part of the Free State mining belt.