| Mangaung | |
| Official Name: | Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality |
| Other Name: | Bloemfontein |
| Settlement Type: | Metropolitan municipality |
| Seal Size: | 150x100px |
| Map Alt: | Location in the Free State |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Free State |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Seat: | Bloemfontein |
| Parts Type: | Wards |
| Parts: | 51 |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Government Type: | Municipal council |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Gregory Nthatisi |
| Leader Party: | ANC |
| Leader Title1: | Speaker |
| Area Total Km2: | 6284 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 811,431 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [3] |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 87.9% |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 3.8% |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.4% |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 7.8% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [4] |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 53.3% |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 16.2% |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 12.6% |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 9.9% |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 8% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Municipal code |
| Blank Info Sec1: | MAN |
The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (st|Masepala o Moholo wa Mangaung; zu|UMasipala weDolobhakazi laseMangawunge; af|Mangaung Metropolitaanse Munisipaliteit; tn|Mmasepala wa Toropokgolo ya Mangaung; xh|uMasipala oMbaxa wase Mangaung) is a metropolitan municipality which governs Bloemfontein and surrounding towns in the Free State province of South Africa. Mangaung is a Sesotho word meaning "place of cheetahs", as it was not uncommon for the Basotho to name warrior regiments after ferocious animals.
Before the municipal elections of 18 May 2011, Mangaung was a local municipality within the Motheo District Municipality.[5] In the municipal elections held on 1 November 2021, the African National Congress won 51 out of 100 seats on the Metro Council, while the Democratic Alliance won 26 seats and the Economic Freedom Fighters won 12 seats.
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[6]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population | Most spoken language | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40501 | 911.66 | 8,556 | Sotho | ||
| 40502 | 287.46 | 111,697 | Afrikaans | ||
| 40503 | 228.79 | 175,822 | Sotho | ||
| 40504 | 46.23 | 217,076 | Sotho | ||
| 40505 | 221.37 | 3,941 | Tswana | ||
| 40506 | 2.84 | 15,397 | Afrikaans | ||
| 40507 | 1.97 | 10,002 | Sotho | ||
| 40508 | 2.05 | 7,837 | Sotho | ||
| 40509 | 0.80 | 3,630 | Sotho | ||
| 40510 | 216.23 | 67,269 | Sotho | ||
| Remainder of the municipality | 40511 | 4,364.11 | 24,220 | Sotho |
See main article: Mangaung elections.
The municipal council consists of one hundred members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fifty councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fifty wards, while the remaining fifty are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the 2021 South African municipal elections of 1 November 2021 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of fifty-one seats on the council.The following table shows the results of the election.[7]
Since April 2022, the municipality is under administration, one of 32 in the country, and three in the Free State where the provincial executive has intervened due to maladministration.[8]
The following people have served as the Executive Mayor of the municipality since its founding in 2000: