Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, confirms in a written response that officials from Destea have on Tuesday (17 December 2019) handed down documentation to Mangaung Metro, revealing their intention to issue a compliance notice. He says Mangaung is busy “studying the content thereof to ensure compliance. Unfortunately, the zoo is temporarily closed until further notice”, says Khedama.

Mangaung Metro pledges to have the health of the animals still housed in the zoo taken care of by municipal workers on duty. For now, there is no indication as to how long the zoo will be closed down for, in light of the holiday period.

Political parties have been very vocal about the state of the zoo, adding that one is expected to find algae-infected water, carcasses and faeces in the enclosures at the zoo, due to the absence of cleaning services. Some of the municipality’s most ardent critics including Councillors belonging to the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) see the problems at the zoo as yet another reflection of the financial constraints experienced by the embattled Free State municipality.

Not only did Mangaung battle Bloem Water over its debt in the Bloemfontein High Court, but Eskom also took it to book, threatening to introduce power interruptions due to non-payment in November. Destea is yet to comment on the matter but is expected to do so soon.

The OFM News team did visit the zoo, mere minutes after it was closed down.

OFM News