By Bernell Simons

Frustration is boiling over in Mangaung’s student neighbourhoods as a growing housing crisis pits students, residents, landlords and the municipali ty against each other. Students accuse landlords of charging premium rents for unsafe and overcrowded rooms. Residents blame the spread of informal student housing for ris ing crime and failing services. Landlords, meanwhile, point to weak municipal oversight, while the munic ipality itself now faces claims it allowed the situation to spiral out of control. What began as a shortage of student accommoda tion has evolved into a full-blown urban conflict — brought sharply into focus during the recent Safer City Indaba in Bloemfontein, where safety, infrastructure failures and law enforcement challenges dominated discussions. At the centre of the debate is Mangaung Executive Mayor Gregory Nthatisi, who on Thursday (12 March) convened landlords, officials and other stakeholders in an effort to restore order to the city’s rapidly ex panding student accommodation sector. His message was clear: the era of unregulated stu dent housing is coming to an end. “We cannot allow profit to come before safety. Com pliance is not optional,” Nthatisi told accommodation providers during the engagement, which followed mounting complaints about overcrowding, crime and deteriorating living conditions in student-dense neigh bourhoods. Students Paying More for Less Bloemfontein — home to the University of the Free State, Central University of Technology, Motheo TVET College and several private colleges — has seen a steady increase in privately owned student accom modation as institutions struggle to provide sufficient on-campus residence space. While the shortage has created a booming rental market, students say it has also opened the door to exploitation. Tenants report paying high rents for rooms in con verted houses plagued by poor sanitation, unreliable electricity and blocked sewer systems. Others de scribe overcrowded buildings, a lack of security and slow responses to maintenance problems. “We are paying as if this is luxury housing, but we live with broken toilets, leaking pipes and no safety,” said one student living in privately run accommoda tion near campus. Some students also claim that when incidents oc cur, police response times are slow, forcing residents to rely on private security companies or neighbours for help. Residents Say Neighbourhoods Are Under Pres sure Long-time residents in suburbs with high student populations — including Universitas, Brandwag, Blo manda and Hillside View — say the rapid growth of student accommodation has transformed once-quiet streets into overcrowded areas marked by increased traffic, noise and safety concerns. Illegal building conversions, backyard structures and poorly maintained properties are among the most common complaints. Residents accuse both landlords and the municipality of failing to enforce bylaws. Some community members argue that parts of the city now resemble informal settlements operating un der the label of student accommodation. “These places are not proper residences anymore,” one resident said during the meeting. “They are over crowded buildings with no control, and nobody takes responsibility.” Landlords Defend Their Role Accommodation providers reject claims that they are solely responsible for the problem. Many argue that they stepped in to fill a gap left by universities and government, investing in properties to house students who would otherwise have nowhere to live. They also point to rising operating costs, delayed payments from student funding schemes and complex municipal processes as obstacles to full compliance. “Landlords are expected to provide housing, but the rules keep changing and the municipality does not always offer support,” said Universitas-based student housing provider Bongani Mazwi. Mazwi said landlords are willing to comply with reg ulations but require clearer guidelines, faster approv als and consistent enforcement. Several landlords also questioned whether weak municipal oversight allowed unsafe accommodation to operate for years without intervention, accusing the municipality of “looking the other way”. Municipality Promises Crackdown Concerns raised during discussions linked to the Safer City Indaba highlighted deeper problems in the city’s regulatory system. Broken streetlights, damaged roads, sewer spillag es and unreliable municipal services in student areas have raised doubts about the municipality’s ability to monitor the rapidly growing accommodation market. Critics argue that poor enforcement allowed unlaw ful building conversions, overcrowding and non-com pliant properties to flourish. Nthatisi acknowledged the concerns but rejected claims that the municipality deliberately ignored the problem.“We accept that enforcement has not always been strong enough, but that is exactly why we are acting now,” he said. The mayor confirmed that the city will intensify inspections, require proper registration of student accommodation and strictly enforce health, fire and zoning regulations. Properties that fail to meet required standards could face penalties or closure. Nthatisi said the municipality also plans to work closely with the University of the Free State, law en forcement and community organisations to monitor conditions in student-heavy areas. “This is not about shutting people down,” he said. “It is about making sure students live in safe condi tions and residents feel secure in their neighbourhoods.