By 
Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) kicked-off day one of its inaugural two days Investment Summit on Wednesday, 19 February 2025, with the aim to expose potential investors to the diverse and lucrative investment opportunities available in the City.
The Executive Mayor of Mangaung Metro Cllr. Gregory Nthatisi, as he opened and welcomed the MECs, diplomats, business community, academia and stakeholders, said the City is a rough diamond that was neglected by the previous regime, he said the relatively young metro has great investment opportunities.
Nthatisi pointed out that Mangaung held a Property and Infrastructure Indaba respectively as a build up to the Investment Summit, and further invited investors to invest in the respective sectors. He said given the influx into the City, Mangaung is now home to over a million people but its economy does not match its population.
“At the heart of it all, Mangaung is like a rough diamond, an area that was ignored by our former dispensation, apartheid, but that served as headquarters of the judicial… the opportunities of the City are there to be exploited.
Having called ourselves a rough diamond in terms of development, that invite for many to understand that there are opportunities in this City. Our infrastructure link to all the provinces in the country you can think of, our location is like a bellybutton of the country, we are in the centre,” said the Executive Mayor.
Nthatisi told the investors that Mangaung being at the centre, is an opportunity for them to reach other parts of the country with ease from the centre of the country, they can move their products to even countries like Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia using the various national roads that pass through the City.
He said Mangaung has vast land to develop and yet it is a virgin land, economic potential lying fallow waiting to be exploited.
“In our Infrastructure Indaba, we digged deep on what opportunities are there in our infrastructure, those who will be coming forward to present on the product that was arrived at, will amongst other things indicate that our infrastructure in itself is an investment opportunity.
In the area of roads, they will also demonstrate that in the area of water, they will demonstrate that our sanitation is also a lucrative venture that people can come in and through PPP work with government and also invest in that area,” said Cllr. Gregory Nthatisi.
The Executive Mayor invited investors into metro to make a difference, in building an economic viable municipality that provides quality services to its citizens.
Nthatisi told the investors and diplomats that the City has an international airport that is underutilised, Bram Fisher in Bloemfontein, it has the potential to be used for freight alongside two other airports including Tempe and Thaba Nchu airport, he said they can use the airports to reach other countries through air from Mangaung.
He also told the Summit that the City has great tourism potential as it boasts numerous tourist attraction sites.
“I am looking at you and I can smell money, but over and above money, I can smell sustainability, I can smell that through you, we are going to be sustainable. Ladies and gentlemen, I look at you and I see a better tomorrow today; I look at you and I see not only friends, but brothers and sisters, I see advanced detachments of individuals that are saying to us, ‘let’s do it together’.
Let’s shape Mangaung, let’s rock the boat, let’s make sure that this City is counted amongst cities, let’s make sure that this metro becomes an economic hub, to make a meaningful contribution to the people of Mangaung and to the country. That is what I see in all of you,” said Executive Mayor Cllr. Gregory Nthatisi.
