SABRINA DEAN
The Mangaung Fire Brigade held a roof-wetting to make sure there are no leaks during an event to launch the dome of the new digital planetarium on Naval Hill this morning.
Tourism, Environmental Affairs and Economic Development MEC Msebenzi Zwane also helped offload the crates containing the imported digital panels which will be installed on the inside of the dome to create the first such planetarium in sub-saharan Africa. He says it is a very exciting time for the Free State.
According to the University of the Free State, which has been granted the concession for the operation of the planetarium, it is a versatile venue. “It can be used for concerts, state-of-the-art presentations, theatre productions, as well as meetings, conferences and exhibitions,” the UFS said in a statement.
The auditorium will seat 80 adults or 120 children.
The planetarium is a joint intiative between the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, the Free State Department of Tourism, Environmental Affairs and Economic Development, the national Department of Science and Technology and the University of the Free State.
