The EFF condemned what it described as the attempted privatisation and “fraudulent leasing” of public land and municipal assets. The dispute followed the metro’s denial that it intended to sell Naval Hill or other municipal property in Bloemfontein. 

City manager Sello More said no decision had been taken to dispose of any asset. The municipality was only considering investment partnerships and development proposals to unlock the economic potential of under-used properties while protecting the public interest and retaining strategic assets, he said.

Official municipal documents tell a different story, EFF elections spokesperson Thembi Msane said. The metro published a public notice listing 14 properties for alienation, disposal, or long-term leasing.

These properties include Naval Hill, identified as erf 447/6545 and described as a conservation property or amusement park. Other sites include development nodes, industrial land, the Waaihoek precinct, the old Centlec power station, and land intended for student accommodation and township development.

The notice refers to Section 14(2)(a) of the Municipal Finance Management Act and allowed the public 30 days to submit objections. The municipality later denied that Naval Hill was for sale or that it was disposing of municipal assets, Msane said.

“This is a clear attempt to cover up a process it had already initiated, which is pure deception. A municipality cannot publish a formal notice listing Naval Hill and other strategic assets for disposal or long-term leasing and then pretend no such process exists.”

Long-term leases and public-private partnerships can have the same practical effect as a sale because they transfer control and benefits to private entities for extended periods, Msane argued. “This is classic ANC doublespeak. We caught them, they deny. When denied, they reframe privatisation as development.”

The controversy deepened after AfriForum announced that Mangaung could not continue with the alienation or long-term leasing of the identified properties. The list included Naval Hill in the Franklin Nature Reserve.

An out-of-court settlement resulted in an interdict preventing further alienation until Mangaung proves it followed the required legal and public participation processes. The metro has 15 days to submit this proof, AfriForum local government affairs adviser Dalena Beyers said.

More maintained Mangaung had no intention of disposing of public assets. The municipality wanted to use under-utilised properties responsibly to secure long-term economic and social benefits for residents while preserving assets of strategic importance, he said.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi sm

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