The South African Municipal Demarcation Board made its positive finding on Mangaung’s conversion from a category B local municipality to a category A metropolitan municipality (together with Buffalo City) in 2010. More than one party had objected to the change in status – including the Matjhabeng municipality which includes Welkom – but an agreement was reached before the final adjudication whereby all parties withdrew their objections.

South Africa’s other metropolitan areas are Johannesburg, Cape Town, eThekwini (Durban), Tshwane (Pretoria), Ekurhuleni (Germiston, Benoni, Boksburg) and Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth).

The South African Constitution makes provision for metropolitan government where centres of economic activity require a higher degree of coordination than would be the case in other areas. The central locality of the Mangaung area within both the regional and national context provides a strong argument for integrated planning, and thus metropolitan status.

With the north-south N2 and east-west N8 highways passing through the axis of Bloemfontein, the area’s important location is clear. Bloemfontein is linked to all of South Africa’s major cities by rail and has a modern airport.

The infrastructure of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is well developed and would be able to absorb much more development. It has been argued that if the water resources of the Gariep Dam were tapped, Mangaung would have at its disposal sufficient water resources to cater for an industrial area bigger in size than Gauteng Province.

The Mangaung area’s importance to the economy of the neighbouring country of Lesotho cannot be over-stated. There are plans to further strengthen these ties through a rail link and the strengthening of the N8 corridor.

The establishment of a metropolitan authority presents a further chance to better integrate the three towns that made up the original municipal formation. Bloemfontein is the main economic driver while Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu have economic potential that has not been fully realised.

Botshabelo is about 65km from Bloemfontein and has 140 factories located in it. Thaba Nchu lies still further to the east of the provincial capital and is popular with tourists. The Protea Hotel Black Mountain is located within the Maria Moroka Nature Reserve and near the Groothoek Dam.

Bloemfontein, the capital city of the province, is known as the City of Roses. Bloemfontein has a fine National Botanica l Garden and excellent infrastructure. The Supreme Court of Appeal is located in the city. This is the highest appeal court in South Africa for all matters other than issues relating to constitutionality.

Bloemfontein has excellent schools and hosts the Central University of Technology, the University of the Free State, the Mangaung Nursing College of the Free State and the UFS Business School.

The Bloemfontein campus of UFS caters for 16 000 students in six faculties. Students from 16 nations attend the university, which employs about 40 international academics. Motheo Further Education and Training College offers pre-tertiary and tertiary courses in diverse fields such as art and design, engineering and hospitality.

Bloemfontein contributes about 25% of the gross regional domestic product (GRDP) of the Free State. Within that, community services make up more than a third of the municipality’s economy, with finance (18%), transport (13%), retail and trade, and manufacturing being the other significant contributors.

Bloemfontein has a petroleum depot, a marshalling yard, rail connections to all parts of South Africa and two airports.

Tempe Military Base makes a sizeable contribution to the local economy, containing as it does several units, including 44 Parachute Battalion.

Cultural life in Bloemfontein is well catered for. PACOFS presents musical and theatrical shows and administers the huge Sand du Plessis Theatre Complex. The Free State Symphony Orchestra and dance and opera companies perform regularly. The National Museum has excellent rock art exhibits and the city has several other museums, including those that focus on fire brigades, military armour, Afrikaans literature and toys.

The Free State Stadium successfully hosted six 2010 World Cup matches, which helped to put the city on the world tourism map. The Free State Cheetahs rugby team attracts good crowds as do their soccer counterparts, Free State Stars and Bloemfontein Celtic.