Since its launch on 14 November 2024, the St George’s Precinct Plan in Mangaung has blossomed into a bold, city-wide vision: the Bloemfontein CBD Regeneration Programme. What began as a focused effort to refresh a single precinct has inspired something much bigger, the reimagining of the Inner City as a vibrant, safe, and welcoming destination for living, working, and investing.
Bloemfontein, the City of Roses, nestled in the heart of the Free State province, this historic city spans over 236 km2 and is surrounded by vibrant townships and settlements.
While the idea of a broader Business Community Improvement District (BCID) is still a longer-term ambition, our immediate focus is on implementing the St George’s Precinct Plan. This phased approach ensures that we build momentum from the ground up, learning and evolving as we go.
In the spirit of Proud of My Town’s style, where partnership, progress, and possibility intertwine, our journey so far reflects a shared conviction: that lasting change 1emerges when people coalesce around a purpose greater than themselves.
A moment that changed everything
The real turning point arrived on 14 April 2025. In a day-long planning session, the Proud of My Town team gathered municipal leaders, property owners, business people, educators, SAPS members, and informal traders.
Together, they wove a tapestry of ideas, transforming hopes into concrete plans. This collaboration captured the essence of what regeneration should feel like: deeply connected, thoughtfully designed, and rooted in local insight.
Ranyaka facilitated a planning session between the Municipal officials, property owners, business people, educators, SAPS members and informal traders.
Shining a spotlight on Bloemfontein’s CBD
Participants left that session buzzing with energy. A shared dream took shape, one centred around telling Bloemfontein’s story with clarity and pride. They imagined a digital home for the CBD, a curated showcase of what this place offers, lively city tours that breathe life into our heritage, and a brand for the CBD that anchors both locals and newcomers.
Their vision was anchored in Bloemfontein’s innate strengths: its central location, it’s sunny, pleasant climate, and it’s rich collection of landmarks. But even more than that, it was about activating these assets, turning potential energy into real action, foot traffic, investment, and renewed civic confidence.
The vibrant St George’s CBD – where the street vendors sell their fresh fruit and vegetables.
The CID concept: A system for lasting impact
At the heart of this broader vision is the concept of a City Improvement District (CID), a structured, place-based model that aligns public, private, and community interests. While the CID model remains a long-term goal, our current work is focused on piloting this vision through the St George’s Precinct.
Ranyaka team members in session with the key stakeholders at the Bon Hotel.
A CID offers a holistic approach: coordinated infrastructure upgrades, systems that enable both municipal resilience and entrepreneurial growth, and public spaces that feel connected and robust. By opening participatory governance, fostering financial sustainability, and weaving together systems for citizen-led change, Mangaung has the potential to set the pace for urban renewal across South Africa, starting with St George’s.
What we’ve achieved together
We’re already on this path. Since November 2023, the effort has seen:
-
A powerful wave of stakeholder engagement across every corner of the Inner City
-
Pilot interventions, like clean-ups that have removed over 100 tons of litter, and new street signage that makes our precinct easier to navigate
-
Hiring a local precinct coordinator to drive the work from the ground
-
Securing start-up funding through Nedbank’s Proud of My Town initiative
-
Earning an official endorsement from the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in July 2024
-
Collaborating on design frameworks with technical partners, culminating in a formal submission to the municipality
-
Drafting a Memorandum of Understanding to embody long-term partnership and accountability
These milestones showcase what’s possible when people unite behind a shared narrative and vision.
A breath of fresh air in the heart of the city – St George’s, Bloemfontein, now boasts a cleaner, safer and more inviting environment.
Leadership that shows up
On 10 July 2025, City Manager Sello More and his team engaged Nedbank Provincial Leadership at the Bram Fischer Building to reflect on progress and reaffirm their commitment. The meeting marked the next chapter in a journey that began with municipal endorsement in July 2024 and continues through inclusive, collaborative visioning. With informal traders, educators, business owners, and civic leaders all at the table, this gathering demonstrated the power of bringing many voices into one shared purpose.
City Manager Sello More, accompanied by his team, Mr Ngangelizwe, Mr Bennet and Mr Masoabi, met with the Nedbank Provincial officials, including Mr Volschenk, Mr Mamadi and Miss Lipali.
Charting the road ahead
Looking forward, our plans unfold in two phases.
Over the coming year, we aim to bring stories to life, telling Bloemfontein’s renewed narrative through brand creation, cleaning campaigns, space upgrades, support for the Maker Space hub, and helping local businesses thrive. Over the next two years, we will lay the groundwork for the broader CID model: forming governance structures that unite property owners, residents, and municipal leaders; drafting a five year business plan; and working together to develop the necessary policies and bylaws to sustain this renewal.
Planning session for the next two years held at the Bon Hotel.
A shared promise for Bloemfontein’s future
Expanding from a single location, St George’s, to eventually embrace the entire CBD reflects our collective aspiration: to create a city that’s inclusive, connected, and future-ready. For now, the St George’s Precinct Plan is where we are actively implementing, learning, and growing. The larger BCID vision is still very much in view, but it will take shape gradually, through the commitment and collaboration of many.
This initiative also directly supports the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality’s goals of transforming the Inner City into a vibrant and economically active space. By aligning our work with the city’s regeneration framework and policy objectives, the partnership strengthens the municipality’s ability to deliver on its development mandate in a participatory, responsive and sustainable way.
Linking local action to a national vision
At the same time, this project forms part of the bigger national Proud of My Town picture, an initiative by Nedbank implemented in 34 communities across eight provinces. With a strong focus on creating healthy, productive, clean, and socially cohesive spaces, PoMT enables local government and civil society to co-create solutions that restore dignity, build resilience, and stimulate inclusive economic activity. The work in Mangaung contributes directly to this national movement for community-led transformation.
By centering the voices of government, business, civil society and residents, we’re showing what urban renewal should feel like: real, robust, and relentlessly hopeful.
With momentum building, Bloemfontein’s CBD is well on its way to becoming a national example of place-based regeneration, proof that when we invest in each other, we invest in our collective future.
Images: Relebohile Lipali