Thousands of students come to the city each year, while Small Street and the surrounding Willows area have developed into popular night life destinations. Concerns have also been raised about businesses allegedly operating outside the conditions of their licences.

A multidisciplinary municipal operation targeted compliance, cleaning and infrastructure in the area on Monday. Officials, traffic officers and police took part, while municipal teams cleaned streets and launched a road resealing project as part of broader service delivery efforts.

More than 50,000 students are hosted in Mangaung, placing a responsibility on the metro to help create a safer environment around areas where they live and socialise, said Mangaung mayor Gregory Nthatisi during the operation.

Officials inspected several businesses in Small Street and surrounding areas, including a foreign-owned operation where goods were allegedly being sold outside the scope of its licence. The metro warned that businesses found contravening municipal rules could face enforcement action.

Nthatisi stressed the operation was aimed at enforcing the law rather than targeting foreign nationals. He said the metro rejected xenophobia and wanted South Africans and migrants from elsewhere on the continent to live alongside one another peacefully.

Business owners must, however, comply with the conditions attached to their licences and municipal regulations, he said. Failure to do so could fuel unnecessary tensions and make legitimate foreign-owned businesses vulnerable to hostility arising from broader concerns about illegal trading.

“We want to live side by side with our African brothers,” said Nthatisi. He urged foreign business owners to ensure they operate within the law and warned the municipality would act where businesses were found contravening by-laws or licence conditions.

The operation also highlighted wider service delivery pressures in Mangaung, where communities have repeatedly raised concerns about deteriorating roads and other infrastructure. Municipal officials used the visit to combine enforcement with cleaning and road maintenance in an area heavily used by students and residents.

Mangaung has faced prolonged governance, financial and service delivery challenges, including national intervention aimed at stabilising the metro. The latest operation forms part of efforts to restore compliance and improve visible municipal services while authorities continue dealing with broader infrastructure and management problems.

The metro intends to continue enforcing its by-laws while addressing conditions that affect residents and students in high-traffic areas. Businesses operating in Mangaung will be expected to comply with licensing requirements regardless of the nationality of their owners.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi sm

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