Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality

The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (Sotho: Masepala o Moholo wa Mangaung; Zulu: UMasipala weDolobhakazi laseMangawunge; Afrikaans: Mangaung Metropolitaanse Munisipaliteit; Tswana: Mmasepala wa Toropokgolo ya Mangaung; Xhosa: uMasipala oMbaxa wase Mangaung) is a metropolitan municipality which governs Bloemfontein and surrounding towns in the Free State province of South Africa. Mangaung is a Sesotho word meaning "place of cheetahs", as it was not uncommon for the Basotho to name warrior regiments after ferocious animals.

Mangaung Bloemfontein
Metropolitan municipality
Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality
Seal
Location in the Free State
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
Seat	Bloemfontein
Wards	51
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Gregory Nthatisi (ANC)
Area
• Total	6,284 km2 (2,426 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	811,431
• Density	130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2022) [2]
• Black African	87.9%
• Coloured	3.8%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• White	7.8%
First languages (2011) [3]
• Sotho	53.3%
• Afrikaans	16.2%
• Tswana	12.6%
• Xhosa	9.9%
• Other	8%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	MAN

Before the municipal elections of 18 May 2011, Mangaung was a local municipality within the Motheo District Municipality.^[4] In the municipal elections held on 1 November 2021, the African National Congress won 51 out of 100 seats on the Metro Council, while the Democratic Alliance won 26 seats and the Economic Freedom Fighters won 12 seats.

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:^[5]

Place	Code	Area (km2)	Population	Most spoken language
Barolong Baga Moroka	40501	911.66	8,556	Sotho
Bloemfontein	40502	287.46	111,697	Afrikaans
Botshabelo	40503	228.79	175,822	Sotho
Mangaung	40504	46.23	217,076	Sotho
Morago	40505	221.37	3,941	Tswana
Opkoms	40506	2.84	15,397	Afrikaans
Peter Swart	40507	1.97	10,002	Sotho
Rodenbeck	40508	2.05	7,837	Sotho
Sonskyn	40509	0.80	3,630	Sotho
Thaba 'Nchu	40510	216.23	67,269	Sotho
Remainder of the municipality	40511	4,364.11	24,220	Sotho

Politics

Main article: Mangaung elections

The municipal council consists of one hundred members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fifty councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fifty wards, while the remaining fifty are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the 2021 South African municipal elections of 1 November 2021 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of fifty-one seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.^[6]

Party		Ward			List			Total seats
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	African National Congress	87,100	49.75	40	90,672	51.51	11	51
	Democratic Alliance	45,482	25.98	11	44,857	25.48	15	26
	Economic Freedom Fighters	19,681	11.24	0	20,018	11.37	12	12
	Freedom Front Plus	7,970	4.55	0	7,771	4.41	5	5
	Patriotic Alliance	3,196	1.83	0	3,126	1.78	2	2
	Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats	2,821	1.61	0	2,220	1.26	2	2
	African Independent Congress	2,970	1.70	0	1,484	0.84	1	1
	African Christian Democratic Party	1,292	0.74	0	1,224	0.70	1	1
	African Transformation Movement	1,018	0.58	0	1,071	0.61	1	1
	Independent candidates	992	0.57	0				0
	14 other parties	2,555	1.46	0	3,583	2.04	0	0
Total		175,077	100.00	51	176,026	100.00	50	101
Valid votes		175,077	98.40		176,026	98.47
Invalid/blank votes		2,850	1.60		2,736	1.53
Total votes		177,927	100.00		178,762	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		410,785	43.31		410,785	43.52

Maladministration

Since April 2022, the municipality is under administration, one of 32 in the country, and three in the Free State where the provincial executive has intervened due to maladministration.^[7]

Mayors of Mangaung

The following people have served as the Executive Mayor of the municipality since its founding in 2000:

• Pappi Mokoena (ANC), 2001–2005^[8]
• Eva Moiloa (acting) (ANC), 2005–2006^[8]
• Gertrude Mothupi (ANC), 2006–2008^[9]
• France Kosinyane "Playfair" Morule (ANC), 2008–2011^[10]
• Thabo Manyoni (ANC), 2011–2016^[11]
• Olly Mlamleli (ANC), 2016–2020^[12]
• Lebohang Masoetsa (acting) (ANC), 2020–16 August 2021^[13]
• Mxolisi Siyonzana (ANC), 16 August 2021–6 March 2023^[14]
• Papi Mokoena (AASD), 14 April 2023 – 20 April 2023^[15]
• Gregory Nthatisi (ANC), 13 October 2023 – present (acting since 26 April 2023)^[16]