Welkom: the vibe
Videos from people who went, played right here, with what viewers said underneath. Not part of the score.
The verdict
Mixed · 50Mixed signals: nostalgic former residents recall a lovely, well-kept city, while recent comments describe decline, neglect, sewage and mine-shaft dangers, leaving the outlook genuinely divided.
- nostalgia and warm memories
- wide planned streets and traffic circles
- clean, green gardens
- friendly, proud community
- flamingos and nature spots
- municipal neglect and decay
- faded road markings
- abandoned mine shafts and safety risks
- sewage spills
- limited pedestrian infrastructure
- Former residents say it has declined since their youth.
- Current residents feel the municipality has neglected the town.
- Mine shaft dangers are a real daily concern for nearby homes.
- Car-centric design makes walking across broad streets hard.
- Strong local pride, but mostly from people who grew up there.
Read from 8 videos, 22 comments and 0 posts on 2026-11-08; the summary is written by a language model and can misread sarcasm.
Welkom – A Free State Mining City, South Africa! Ep 641
DustBugs Travel · 31K views · 2025
What viewers said
“Finally....... Was waiting for this episode. Welcome to our beautiful city with it's beautiful people.”
♥ 11 likes
“Stayed there around 1958. Remember myself on my tricycle . Father was a shaft sinker. They sank a world record depth in record time and did that again at Vaal Reefs Orkney. Shaft sinkers were paid extremely well and I had a prosperous child”
♥ 7 likes
“ALSO BEEN NEGLECTED LIKE MOST ANC MUNICIPALITIES 😢😢😢😢😢😢”
♥ 10 likes
“Welkom what memories Hotel 147 the roadhouse , we often visited,”
♥ 8 likes
“Requested this from you guys waaayyy back, thanks for covering my home town.”
♥ 7 likes
“Every year there were hundereds of flamingo Welkom they used to land in a pan next to the road near Saint Helena shaft 1 called flamingo pan.”
♥ 3 likes
“Was born in Welkom in the 80s...thank you for sharing this beautiful place with us ❤️”
♥ 3 likes
“I was in Welkom in the 80s. Remember it as a lovely town. Sonia, glad to hear you are also a F1 fan.”
♥ 4 likes
“I along with my Mom and dad lived in Welkom 1959-1963. The gardens along with the whole town where so much more beautiful then.”
♥ 1 likes
“A trip down memory lane. I lived in Welkom for two years but have not returned since leaving in 1982. It would appear not much has changed since then, excepting the addition of a casino in the city centre and the airport which sadly is no l”
♥ 3 likes
Found with a YouTube search for the city and “digital nomad”, fetched 2026-11-08; titles, descriptions and comments belong to their authors and link to the originals.