A group of residents gathered outside Ditebogo Tavern in Phase Six on Wednesday (30/9) before marching, under police supervision, to an open space near Zolile Tavern. They expected municipal representatives to receive their memorandum, but residents say no official arrived.

Their concerns include the formalisation of informal settlements that they say have existed for years, inadequate sanitation, a lack of flushing toilets, and recurring sewage spillages. 

Residents also want clarity on municipal spending in Ward 46 and on what services and development programmes have been delivered during the current council term.

Community leader Lefa Damane said residents want a detailed account of how money allocated to the ward has been spent and what has been achieved over the past five years.

“The community wants accountability for the budget that was issued for Ward 46. For the whole five-year term, we want to know what they have done for the community, what programmes they have established and every service they have delivered,” said Damane.

The community decided to proceed with its action despite the absence of municipal representatives.

The protest comes amid continued scrutiny of Mangaung’s finances and ability to deliver basic services. The metro’s 2024/25 annual report records about R1.36bn in unauthorised expenditure, R324m in irregular expenditure and R67.2m in fruitless and wasteful expenditure for the municipal group.

The Auditor-General also found that the municipality had not taken reasonable steps to prevent these categories of expenditure and that several instances had not been investigated to determine whether anyone should be held liable.

Water and deteriorating infrastructure remain major concerns. Mayor Gregory Nthatisi previously estimated that about R7.5bn would be needed to rehabilitate Mangaung’s road network, with a further R3.1bn required to address water infrastructure problems.

Ageing infrastructure has contributed to repeated water interruptions, while the metro has acknowledged that maintenance and investment have not kept pace with the scale of the problem. 

A major new pipeline project has since been completed to strengthen water supply to Mangaung and surrounding areas. 

Housing remains another significant challenge. An estimated 77,000 residents across Mangaung still require adequate housing, including about 5,000 in Bloemfontein, 13,000 in Botshabelo and 12,000 in Thaba Nchu, with others living in surrounding towns and settlements.

Sanitation is also under pressure. 

Mangaung previously reported about 79,000 non-waterborne toilets across the metro, including more than 50,000 pit latrines, while expanding informal settlements continue to complicate efforts to improve sanitation and eradicate inadequate systems.

Ward 46 residents say they now want the municipality to respond directly to their memorandum and provide clear information about spending, service delivery and plans to address the problems affecting their communities.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cvs

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