The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (; ; ; ; ) 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.
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.
History Mangaung was established in 2000 as a local municipality within the Motheo District Municipality. At the municipal elections of 18 May 2011, Mangaung was converted into a metropolitan municipality. At the municipal elections of 3 August 2016, the Naledi Local Municipality was incorporated into Mangaung. This 2016 merge increased Mangaung's land area from to , making it the largest of the eight metropolitan municipalities in South Africa.
Main places The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa Place Code Area (km2) Population Most spoken language Barolong Baga Moroka 40501911.668,556Sotho Bloemfontein 40502287.46111,697Afrikaans Botshabelo 40503228.79175,822Sotho Mangaung 4050446.23217,076Sotho Morago 40505221.373,941Tswana Opkoms 405062.8415,397Afrikaans Peter Swart 405071.9710,002Sotho Rodenbeck 405082.057,837Sotho Sonskyn 405090.803,630Sotho Thaba 'Nchu 40510216.2367,269Sotho Remainder of the municipality 405114,364.1124,220Sotho
Politics
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.
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.
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 Eva Moiloa (acting) (ANC), 2005–2006 Gertrude Mothupi (ANC), 2006–2008 France Kosinyane "Playfair" Morule (ANC), 2008–2011 Thabo Manyoni (ANC), 2011–2016 Olly Mlamleli (ANC), 2016–2020 Lebohang Masoetsa (acting) (ANC), 2020–16 August 2021 Mxolisi Siyonzana (ANC), 16 August 2021–6 March 2023 Papi Mokoena (AASD), 14 April 2023 – 20 April 2023 Gregory Nthatisi (ANC), 13 October 2023 – present (acting since 26 April 2023) References
External links Official website