Civil rights organisation AfriForum has taken legal action to prevent the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality from selling off key public assets in Bloemfontein, including the Tempe airport and the Franklin nature reserve situated on Naval Hill.
The organisation's local branches lodged an urgent court application seeking to halt the entire disposal process until all legally mandated procedures have been properly followed. AfriForum insists that none of the properties should be sold or leased until full compliance with the law has been confirmed.
Scale of planned sales far greater than disclosed
While the municipality's public notice referenced just 14 projects, AfriForum contends that the actual scope of the planned alienation encompasses 153 separate plots scattered across different areas of the metro. The organisation has cautioned that disposing of land on this scale could carry serious implications for urban planning, environmental protection and the public's ability to access strategically important sites.
AfriForum has described the metro's approach as "indifferent" and potentially at odds with legislation governing responsible public administration and transparent governance.
"The properties belong to the community, not to the political elite who want to trade them behind closed doors. We simply cannot allow strategic and historic territory, such as Tempe Airport and Naval Hill, to be alienated without proper public participation and transparency."
Those were the words of Christo Groenewald, AfriForum's district coordinator for Bloemfontein, who has been at the forefront of efforts to challenge the municipality's plans.
Repeated engagement attempts met with silence
According to the organisation, a formal letter of objection was dispatched to the Mangaung metro during the previous year, demanding that the disposal process be suspended until meaningful public consultation had been conducted. Groenewald confirmed that numerous subsequent attempts to engage the municipality in dialogue and obtain clarity on the matter had proven fruitless.
"This lack of transparency leaves us with no other choice than to let the case be decided by the courts."
AfriForum maintains that its legal challenge is designed to compel the Mangaung metro to meet its statutory obligations under both the Municipal Financial Management Act (Act 56 of 2003) and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA). The organisation argues that these pieces of legislation require proper public participation and administrative fairness before municipal assets of this nature can be disposed of.
The matter is expected to be heard on an urgent basis, with AfriForum seeking an interim order to freeze all transactions relating to the identified properties until the court has made a final determination.
South Africans in Mangaung and beyond face potential losses if 153 publicly owned plots, including Tempe airport and the Franklin nature reserve, are transferred without proper oversight, as such disposals could undermine urban planning, reduce public green space, and erode community trust in local governance. For businesses dependent on these sites, uncertainty around ownership may stall investment and development. The court's ruling will likely set a precedent for how municipalities handle large-scale asset disposals nationwide.
