Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Mangaung’s DA mayoral candidate said the metro lost 29,000 jobs, remains the only one of South Africa’s eight metros under intervention, and needs a governance turnaround.

The debate exposed sharp divisions over service delivery: the EFF backed insourcing municipal work, while other parties supported private partnerships provided contracts deliver value and remain accountable.

Parties proposed different economic fixes, including local procurement, agro-processing, tourism, manufacturing and private investment, but the post-debate analysis found no complete plan for restoring collapsed infrastructure.

The ANC’s Mangaung campaign was dealt a major blow after failing to submit proportional-representation candidates, leaving it with only 40 possible ward seats out of 101.

A caller highlighted student safety at the University of the Free State and CUT; proposals included municipal patrols, CCTV, street lighting, safer routes and shuttle buses.