Overview

The MANGAUNG Local Municipality is located in the Free State Province, in the centre of South Africa. The Free State is bordered by six provinces, namely Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West provinces, as well as the neighbouring country of Lesotho.

The municipality was formed at the end of 2000 by amalgamating the Transitional Local Councils of Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, Thaba Nchu and two Rural Councils. The municipality is working to integrate the city and ensure that previously disadvantaged communities are spatially linked to the rest of the city.

Being the sixth largest city in the country, the MANGAUNG municipal area covers more than 6 263km2 and hosts a population of about 850 000 people. The languages spoken in the area are mainly Sesotho, Afrikaans, English and Setswana.

MANGAUNG, meaning “Place of the Cheetah”, accentuates the vibrant, dynamic and energetic character of the tourism industry in the “City on the move”.

Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is the economic hub of the MANGAUNG Local Municipality and the provincial capital of the Free State. The city, fondly known as “The city of roses”, is also the commercial capital of the Free State and the judicial capital of South Africa.

Bloemfontein’s economy is mainly based on the services and government sectors. It is also ideally equipped to support demanding industrial activities and is the base of a huge agricultural area. It is incomparable in terms of locality, facilities, viability and accessibility, and displays a proud tradition of hospitality.

The city’s rich cultural and historical heritage is reflected in its museums, art galleries and cultural festivals. The city also offers excellent recreational, shopping and entertainment facilities.

With its picturesque rural tranquility and vibrant, dynamic central business district, this modern city prides itself on being luxuriously steeped in rich traditions – and yet also on embracing other cultures, new ideas and a rapidly changing technology.

Bloemfontein is also a recognised melting pot of creative ideas and expressions. All residents are given exciting opportunities to enrich their lives, while various development programmes ensure the prospect of a higher standard of living for all.

The African National Congress (ANC) was established in the township of Batho in 1912. Maphikela House, built in 1926 and commonly known as the birth place of the ANC, is a national monument and can be viewed by visitors. The Nationalist Party was also founded in Bloemfontein in 1914.

Speculation has it that Bloemfontein's name was derived from the large number of flowers that grew around an old fountain or spring on a farm which belonged to a Voortrekker named Johannes Nicolaas Brits.

While for Brits the requirements were sufficient water and fertile soil, it was Major Henry Douglas Warden, the British Resident in Griqua territory, who in 1846 chose to settle in the centrally situated spot in the vast, dry plains. This was ideal because of the absence of horse sickness, the spacious open country and the close proximity of the main route to Winburg.

Botshabelo

Botshabelo, meaning “A place of refuge”, is situated 45km from Bloemfontein on the national N8 road to Lesotho. It is believed to be the largest township settlement in the Free State and the second largest in the country after Soweto. Botshabelo was established in 1978 as an apartheid engineered town for the displaced Basotho people in the Free State. Most of the present inhabitants moved to the town from rural farms.

Botshabelo has developed into the industrial hub of MANGAUNG and houses about 154 fully operational factories. High-quality products from predominantly textile related factories are marketed throughout South Africa and exported worldwide. It is also a dormitory town for workers in Bloemfontein.

Thaba Nchu

Thaba Nchu consists of both an urban area with private land ownership and a rural area of both private and communal land with people living in 31 scattered villages in the area.

Thaba Nchu is located 12km east of Botshabelo on the N8 road to Lesotho. This settlement lies at the foot of the well-known Thaba Nchu Mountain, also known in the local Sesotho language as “Black Mountain”.

Thaba Nchu has been the home of the Tswana people in the Free State for more that 180 years. The town is closely governed by His Majesty Chief Albert Moroka. He is responsible for most civil matters as well as being the judge at the tribal court.

Apart from being a prominent cultural centre, Thaba Nchu offers luxurious accommodation and a variety of entertainment opportunities.