Matjhabeng, Free State Province, South Africa

🇿🇦 Matjhabeng Local Municipality is a local government serving an administrative area in the Lejweleputswa District of the Free State in South Africa. The municipality services Welkom, Virginia, Odendaalsrus and Allanridge. The name is a Sesotho word meaning "where nations meet". It is derived from the migrant labour system where people from various countries like Lesotho, Mozambique, etc. meet to work in the mines of the Goldfields.

Reported corruption In 2011 the municipality came into the news as one of the worst examples of the widespread corruption under the ANC. In about four years about R2bn went missing. An enquiry led by the MEC Mosebenzi Zwane blamed the losses on the municipal manager Ben Malakoane and his predecessor Thabo Pietersen. Zwane's report slated Malakoane as "grossly negligent", "undermining the rule of law" and engaging in contracts "without due process", but premier Ace Magashule referred to the duo as his "comrades". In 2021 five officials of the municipality were arrested by the Hawks after over R1 million of municipal funds was allegedly misspent. One of the accused was involved in appointing the remaining accused as municipal officials.

Socioeconomic issues The municipality experiences high unemployment which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2021, about 150,000 adults are unemployed. Some 10 gold mines closed their shafts, and suppliers of these mines closed shop. Crime has increased in its towns and townships, especially in Meloding, Virginia, Thabong and Welkom. The reported crimes include theft and vandalism of municipal property and infrastructure, besides illegal mining by zama zamas, costly cable theft, theft of fencing material and vandalism of cemeteries.

Geography The municipality covers an area of 5,155 square km (1,990 sq mi) in the goldfields of the central Free State, north of Bloemfontein and south of Kroonstad. According to the 2011 census it has a population of 406,461 people in 123,195 households. Of this population, 88% describe themselves as "Black African", 10% as "White", and 2% as "Coloured". The first language of 64% of the population is Sotho, while 12% speak Xhosa, 12% speak Afrikaans and 4% speak English.

In the western part of the municipality there is a string of mining towns that runs from north-west to southeast: Allanridge (pop. 19,337), Odendaalsrus (pop. 63,743), Welkom (pop. 211,011) and Virginia (pop. 66,208). Further to the east are the agricultural towns of Hennenman (pop. 24,355) and Ventersburg (pop. 11,260).