The first cohort of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality officials and councillors graduated from the Supervisory Management Development Programme and Municipal Councillor Development Training at the 2026 Autumn Graduation ceremony. The graduates are flanked by Cllr Lulama Titi-Odili, Mangaung Deputy Executive Mayor and MMC Finance (front row-5^th from left), Prof. Freda van der Walt, Dean of Management Sciences. Cllr/Dr Lawrence Mathae, Mangaung Speaker and Provincial Chairperson of SALGA and Dr Sally Dzingwa, Institutional Registrar (front row-4^th from right).

On 27 June 2025, the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) and Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) formalised a strategic partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening local governance and enhancing service delivery.

This collaboration focuses on the delivery of credit bearing short learning programmes through CUT’s Department of Government Management. The programmes were developed in response to identified skills gaps within local government, the broader public sector, and state-owned entities.

Four targeted programmes were introduced, namely Supervisory, Councillor, Middle, and Executive Management Development, designed to equip councillors and municipal officials with practical expertise in governance, accountability, legal frameworks, public participation, project management, financial management, and ethics.

The first cohort, launched in 2025, saw 100 participants from MMM successfully enrol, complete their studies, and graduate at the 2026 Bloemfontein Autumn graduation ceremony. Municipal officials participated in the Supervisory Management Development Programme (SMDP), while councillors completed the Municipal Councillor Development Training (MCDT).

Building on this success, a second cohort focusing on Middle and Executive Management Development will commence in April and run over a six-month period, further strengthening leadership capacity within the municipality.