About Mangaung

MANGAUNG is situated in the Free State Province, in the central interior of South Africa. The Free State is bordered by Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West provinces, as well as the neighbouring country of Lesotho.

The MANGAUNG Local Municipality was formed at the end of 2000 by amalgamating the Transitional Local Councils of Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, Thaba Nchu and two Rural Councils. 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 Cheetahs”, accentuates the vibrant, dynamic and energetic character of the tourism industry in the “City on the move”.

General Information for Tourists

Summer in the MANGAUNG area stretches from October to February, and winter from May to August. The average summer temperature in MANGAUNG is 26 degrees Celsius, though temperatures in excess of 30 degrees Celsius are not uncommon. The city is situated in a summer rainfall region with an average rainfall of between 600mm and 750mm per annum. The average winter temperature is 16 degrees Celsius with severe frost at times over the entire region. Snow occasionally falls on the mountain ranges in the eastern Free State and the rest of the province.

Taking the extreme temperatures into consideration, clothing can vary from light casual wear in summer to heavy coats, jackets and scarves in winter. The dress code for most restaurants and hotels is casual. Safari clothing and comfortable shoes are suggested for game reserves, resorts and hiking trails.

Credits cards such as Visa, American Express, Diners Club, and MasterCard are accepted by most restaurants, hotels, car rental companies and other points of sale and service in MANGAUNG. Foreign currency exchange can take place at any commercial bank or foreign exchange bureau in the city.

Most banks are open on weekdays between 09:00 and 15:30 and Saturdays from 08:30-11:00. Normal business trading hours are usually between 08:00 and 17:00 on weekdays and between 08:30 and 13:00 on Saturdays. Some shopping malls are open for business on a Sunday.

Tips of 10% to 15% are usually given to waiters, housekeeping staff, tour guides, taxi drivers and porters.

Electricity supply of 220/240 volts, 50 cycle, is used in MANGAUNG. The metric system for weight and measures is used in the city.

The international telephone dialling code is +27 plus the area code when dialling from outside South Africa, while 00 plus the country code is used when making international phone calls from South Africa. The area code for MANGAUNG is 051.

Contact Us

Louise Venter
Information Officer
MANGAUNG Tourism

Physical address:
Tourism Centre, 60 Park Road, Willows
Bloemfontein, 9301

Postal address:
PO Box 639
Bloemfontein, 9300

Tel: +27 51 405 8489 / 8490
Fax: +27 51 447 3859
E-mail: information@bloemfontein.co.za