With a name meaning “place of leopards” in the language of Sesotho, Mangaung, also widely referred to as Bloemfontein, is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa and one of the country’s three national capitals. Officially founded in 1846, “the city of roses”, as it is affectionately known due to both the abundance of the flowers in the city and its annual rose festival, is today home to approximately 370,000 people, while the Mangaung Local Municipality boasts a population of more than 645,000.
Last year was a very significant year for the city of Mangaung in that it reaffirmed its position as being what it proudly dubs, “the heart of South Africa”. It has long been the belief of the city that it is mandated to deliver excellent service to the men, women and children who reside there.
Not unlike other municipalities across the country, Mangaung faces daily service delivery challenges, for instance backlogs in areas such as housing, water, sanitation and unemployment. In order to combat said issues the municipality has identified a number of possible interventions, for example identifying areas of land in areas such as Vistapark, Ceciliapark, at the airport and Hillside View to accommodate the rising demand for housing.
Water pipe leaks have historically been a source of lost revenue within the city. To address this, South Africa’s Minister of Water Affairs has committed to assisting it in financing programmes designed to tackle the problem head on and bring an end to underground pipe leaks that have cost Mangaung considerable sums of money in years gone by.
As with any major city, Mangaung also has to deal with the issue of crime, particularly that which occurs within its booming Central Business District. To ensure the safety of its inhabitants and visitors, the city has gone about installing CCTV cameras at strategic points in all major towns and at several entertainment hot spots. Together with its established law enforcement centres and continued traf´¼üc police visibility, this has helped Mangaung in its ´¼üght against crime.
In its efforts to make Mangaung the ideal city in which people can live, work and invest, the municipality has developed an extensive Spatial Development Framework (SDF), which is aimed at improving the lives of Mangaung residents, while attracting investors and those seeking better opportunities – from businesses and schools, to pleasure and leisure pursuits.
The projects earmarked under the SDF include the N8 Corridor Development and the Bloemfontein Airport precinct development. New industrial development and human settlements will predominantly be taking place towards the east of Bloemfontein, particularly along the vicinities of the N8 Development Zone.
The municipality promises that the N8 Corridor Development Project will be one of the most signi´¼ücant investment opportunities that will guarantee jobs to many residents and contribute towards building a better life for all. The envisaged development at Naval Hill is expected to become one of the municipality’s world-class recreational facilities and tourism destinations that will give the local economy a great boost in the years to come.
Similarly, through the ongoing development of the Bloemfontein Airport, Mangaung is working hard to position itself as one of a number of emerging aero-cities in the country. The proposed Bloemfontein Airport precinct, to the south of the airport entrance, is a multi-billion rand infrastructure and property development project that has already commenced with the implementation of the ´¼ürst phase.
The project comprises the development of an international convention centre, a government complex, a regional shopping mall, and an array of sustainable housing typologies. It is being viewed as an opportunity for discerning property investors to widen and improve their investment portfolios.
The municipality is keen to stress that youth are the core of its economy and its future prosperity, hence their development is a priority for Mangaung. Whatever the plan, the municipality wants to ensure that these plans do not exclude young people, as well as women and children. Some of the important projects being undertaken include a new furniture factory run by youth, ´¼üre´¼üghters training at Ehrlich Park Fire Station and youth centres.
To augment its vision for the city, the municipality has also commenced with several huge water and sanitation projects. It is also improving the city’s road infrastructure, which is particularly important because Mangaung is a central link for South Africa. Specific individual projects include the construction of the Naval Hill Water Reservoir to supply water to the east of Bloemfontein, the extension of the capacity of the Longridge Reservoir, and road rehabilitation, construction and maintenance of major roads including Andries Pretorius, Eeufees, Church, Haldon and Fort Hare Streets.
An amount of R436 million has been budgeted for roads and storm water, sanitation, waste management and water projects for the period of 2013/14. Through these projects and many others, 2,823 job opportunities have been created, with 802 of those being permanent.
The municipality is particularly proud that since the dawn of democracy, it has been able to provide more than 176,000 stands or households with access to sanitation, while more than 155,000 stands have access to basic water supplies in Bloemfontein, Botshabelo and ThabaNchu.
One of the objectives in terms of housing developments is to earmark the city for social integration, eradicate informal settlements and consolidate dysfunctional settlements. Currently, the city’s ´¼éagship housing project is the soon-to-be-occupied Brandwag Housing Project, a mixed housing project for middle income earners who are not eligible for state housing but cannot access bank loans. Land has also been earmarked in certain areas in and around Mangaung for future mixed development initiatives, which will encompass residential units ranging from low income and rental to social and commercial initiatives.
The city’s tourist attractions include Naval Hill, whose status was further elevated upon the unveiling of the Nelson Mandela statue last year and an overhauling of the area to make it even safer. Naval Hill gives tourists a bird’s eye view of the sprawling city of Bloemfontein.
Through its various ongoing programmes, Mangaung Municipality aims to work continuously in order to fast-track service delivery and grow the economy of the city. Above all else it will ensure that all the strides made in 2013 do not fall away and that 2014 and beyond will be even better!
Written by Will Daynes, research by Stuart Platt
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