Anti-Makhanda campaigners to challenge name change

Arts and Culture Minister, Nathi Mthetwa, said in an accompanying statement that the gazetting of the new name for Grahamstown had been preceded by 20 years of discussions, from members of the public, historians, academics, and politicians.

Mthetwa's statement said that as early as 2012 the Makana Local Municipality had public engagements on a possible change of name Grahamstown when they were dealing with changing the names of the streets of the town.

However, anti-name change campaigner, Advocate Jock McConnachie, said on Wednesday that he had addressed a formal complaint to the Minister of Arts & Culture, pointing out that the Friday's notice in the government gazette was defective.

"It has been put out that the name change is final from the effect of the notice published in the Gazette last Friday. That is incorrect, and the notice is defective because it doesn't tell people that they have the right to object in one month.”

McConnachie said the Keep Grahamstown Grahamstown campaign has already received over 200 objections to the minister's notice.

He pointed out that, as was the case in other cities and towns, the department has not followed a proper public consultation process in accordance with what has been laid out by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

The validity of the changes are therefore open to being challenged.

McConnachie said the whole name change process began with the local council but because not enough people were in favour of a name change, provincial authorities took matters into their own hands.

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