The Lejweleputswa district, predominantly known as the Goldfields of Free State, has about 23.2% of the province’s total population. Mining is the largest contributor to the district’s economy, followed by agriculture. The predominant mineral mined in the district is gold, with the main agricultural produce being maize. The district is home to towns like Brandfort, Bothaville, Hennenman, Welkom, Ventersburg, Virginia, Winburg, Theunissen, and Odendaalsrus.

Lejweleputswa’s GDP growth trend is more volatile that the Free State as a whole, and can possibly be explained by the volatility of the mining sector (gold price). The mining sector is the main contributing sector for the district, contributing 31%. The district contributes 23.8% to the Free States total GDP, making it the second largest contributor of the five District Municipalities.

The dominant exporting sector in the district is manufacturing, followed by agriculture. The main exported commodities of the manufacturing sector are plastic products followed by basic chemicals.

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With interest both locally and abroad, a jewellery manufacturing project to add value to the mining giant harmony Mining Group has been established. It is believed that this Virginia Jewellery School will complement jewellery manufacturers located in the hub.

The Free State is confident that the cluster will develop into a world-class training centre, where students from other countries can participate in an exchange venture. In so doing, the school will then build the necessary capacity to ensure internationally competitive skills for the cluster. A spin off of the jewellery development is increased tourism in the region, where plans are already being developed for the Gold Route, which is to include visits to underground mine shafts and boutiques selling local jewellery items.