Eastern Cape name changes here to stay: Mthethwa
Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa has rejected all objections to the 23 geographical name changes in the Eastern Cape.
The changes were gazetted in February.
These name changes included the change from Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha, Uitenhage to Kariega, King Williamstown to Qonce, East London Airport to King Phalo Airport and Port Elizabeth Airport to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport.
"The ministry and the department received a number of objections including three boxes with petition signatures of 12,402 residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay that were sent through to the office of the executive mayor, as well as 690 emails with objections to the name changes," the minister’s spokesperson Masechaba Khumalo explains.
"These objections are provided for in section 10 of the South African Geographical Names Act 118 of 1998.
"The objections varied from claims that insufficient consultation was done at the local level, alternative names had been ignored, the renaming would drive away tourists, or that the money spent on renaming could be better spent on service delivery and claims that the new names have nothing to do with the people of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality or are a duplication of existing place names.”
She says Mthethwa asked the South African Geographical Names Council to review all the objections.
"The SAGNC submitted evidence to the minister that consultation was indeed done indeed throughout the province by the Provincial Geographical Names Committee, and that all provisions of the SAGNC Act 118 of 1998 were followed at all processes during the consideration of the new names.
"The renaming of geographical features is also done in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which recommended the renaming of geographical features after those who contributed towards the attainment of freedom and democracy as part of symbolic reparations.”
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