A multidisciplinary team of the Mangaung Metro is conducting building regulation inspections in the Bloemfontein CBD.
Sibongile Tsoleli, member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Safety and Transport, said in a statement that those who disregard municipal regulations, will be fined.
Three of the Mangaung’s DA ward councillors Hennie van Niekerk (ward 26), Tjaart van der Walt (ward 23), and Corize van Rensburg (ward 20) say this is a wonderful step in the right direction, but they urge the metro to take a stronger stance on illegal student accommodation in Mangaung.
On Tuesday, 22 April, they handed over a petition with 900 signatures from their respective wards to ask the metro to urgently address the issues posed by ongoing uncontrolled and illegal building of student accommodation in Mangaung, especially in Park West and Universitas.
Van der Walt said the memorandum, that was handed over to the office of the executive mayor, Gregory Nthatisi, as well as die municipal manager, Sello More, has been compiled with input from concerned residents, university representatives and other stakeholders.
“It outlines critical recommendations for immediate and long-term actions, including the establishment of a multi-stakeholder task force, strict enforcement of existing building and zoning regulations, development of on-campus high-density student housing, infrastructure improvements, and enhanced community safety measures and policy revisions to better manage student accommodation.
“We urge the metro, in collaboration with the surrounding universities and all relevant stakeholders, to consider and implement the proposed measures to restore order, safety, and sustainable development in our communities,” he said.
Some of the actions called for in the petition include the establishment of a multi-stakeholder task force comprising representatives from the municipality, university, residents’ associations, student bodies and property owners to develop and implement a comprehensive long-term strategy for effective management of student accommodation on campus and in Mangaung.
They also call for the strict implementations and enforcement of existing regulations and the enforcement of bylaws related to building regulations, zoning, noise, waste management and safety standards for all properties, especially those used for student accommodation.
Van der Walt says they call for action when illegal building activity is reported.
He said the memorandum also calls for the orderly development of high-density, affordable student accommodation enclosed on the main campus of the University of the Free State (UFS).
“There are 40 ha of abandoned land adjoining the UFS, owned by the Free State Province along Furstenburg Road that should be investigated for this purpose,” they state in the memorandum. “Such a development could be funded as a Public Private Partnership. Further high density-development in the CBD and on the UFS South Campus should be investigated and could yield more than 10 000 beds in Bloemfontein.”
Before any development, a thorough assessment of infrastructure capacity in affected areas need to be done.
Van der Walt says this is one of the huge issues on the rapid expansion of student houses. “Upgrades to sewage, water and road systems to support the current population and any further developments envisages must be done before planning starts.”
Van der Walt says the academic institutions in Bloemfontein are ideally positioned to conduct thorough action research on the impacts and mitigation of student accommodation in local communities and best practices for managing these.
