The Mangaung Local Municipality, comprising Bloemfontein, Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo, on Tuesday took a step closer towards becoming a metropolitan area.
”We totally and completely support the idea of a metro,” said speaker in the council Mahlomola Ralebesi.
The council approved a resolution in favour of a proposal sent by the Municipal Demarcation Board that the Soutpan and Verkeerdevlei areas be incorporated into the Mangaung municipal area.
”The Mangaung council accepted the proposal. Today [Tuesday] we will submit our views to the demarcation board and we are telling them we are in favour,” said Ralebesi.
If the two areas do eventually become part of the Mangaung area, the municipality could qualify as a metro.
”The additional land, the additional income and the additional population will indeed increase the possibility of Mangaung becoming a metropolitan area,” Ralebesi said.
However, he said, a long process still lay ahead.
Hillary Monare, manager of the municipal demarcation board, said the proposal approved by the council was one of various public submissions received.
”It will be considered with other proposals that were received. No decision has been made yet.”
Monare said the closing date for submissions was September 25 and the board would sit on the issue at the end of October.
”The board will make a decision after looking at the submissions and it will be published again for objections. The process has still some time to go.”
Said Ralebesi: ”We as a municipality have already made a proposal to the South African Local Government Association and the [provincial minister] that even without the inclusion of the two towns we are convinced we should actually become a metro.”
Mangaung is currently a grade five city and if it becomes a metro (grade six) the salaries of councillors could increase dramatically.
The Democratic Alliance in the council has voted against the proposal. — Sapa