By Thabo Manyoni, executive mayor of Mangaung

2012 was a great year for Mangaung in the sense that we claimed our space as the heart of South Africa.

As a city, we believe that it is our mandate to deliver excellent service to our electorate. Like other municipalities across the country, Mangaung is faced with the challenges of service delivery backlog in areas such as housing, water, sanitation and unemployment. We have identified several interventions, like identifying pockets of land in Vistapark, Ceciliapark, at the airport and Hillside View to accommodate the rising demand for housing.

The city is also losing a lot of revenue through water pipe leaks. However, the minister of Water Affairs has committed to assisting the municipality in financing programmes to help reduce the problem and ensure an end to the underground pipe leaks that are making the city lose millions in revenue. As with any major city in the world, Mangaung is also privy to crime, especially in the booming CBD. To ensure the safety of our people and visitors, we have installed CCTV cameras at strategic points in the three towns and at some entertainment hot spots. Together with our established law enforcement centres and continued traffic police visibility, this has helped in our fight against crime.

In our strides to make Mangaung a city where people can live, work and invest, we have 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 business and school, 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, especially along the vicinities of the N8 Development Zone.

The N8 Corridor Development Project promises to be one of the most significant investment opportunities that will guarantee jobs to many residents and contribute towards building a better life for all. The envisaged development at Naval Hill will undoubtedly be one of the municipality’s world-class recreational facilities and tourism destinations that will give the local economy a great boost.

Similarly, through the ongoing development of the Bloemfontein Airport, Mangaung is positioning itself as one of the emerging aerocities in the country. The proposed Bloemfontein Airport precinct, to the south of the airport entrance, is a multibillion rand infrastructure and property development project that has kicked off with implementation of the first 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. This is an opportunity for discerning property investors to widen and improve their investment portfolios.

It should be noted that youth are the core of our economy, hence their development is a priority for us. Whatever we plan, we have to ensure that these plans do not exclude young people, as well as women and children. Some of the projects will include a new furniture factory run by youth, firefighters training at Ehrlich Park Fire Station and youth centres.

To augment our vision for the city, we have already begun with some huge water and sanitation projects. We are also improving our road infrastructure, which is particularly important because Mangaung is a central link for South Africa. These projects include:

• The construction of the Naval Hill Water Reservoir to supply water to the east of Bloemfontein. The project commenced in April 2012 and is expected to be completed in November 2013.
• The extension of the capacity of the Longridge Reservoir which wasscheduled for completion in August 2013.
• 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 stormwater, sanitation, waste management and water projects for the period 2012/13. Through these projects and many others, 2 823 job opportunities have been created, with 802 being permanent.

Mangaung has prioritised water and sanitation programmes across its three areas, with particular focus on Botshabeloand ThabaNchu.

To this effect, R470 million has been set aside for the upgrading of roads and stormwater; R500 million for water services; R370 million for sanitation, which includes sewer bulk and sewer connections; and R37 million for landfill site management.

We are also proud that since the dawn of democracy, we have provided more than 176 000 stands/households with access to sanitation, while more than 155 000 stands have access to basic water supply 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 flagship 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 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 all these programmes, Mangaung will continuously work to fast-track service delivery and grow the economy of the city. We will ensure that all the strides we made in 2012 do not fall away and that 2013/14 will be even better!