Photo: Flickr / Khaz
Photo: Flickr / Khaz
After Port Elizabeth – and several other towns in the Eastern Cape – were officially renamed on Tuesday, attention has turned to who could be next on the list. There are several campaigns to get other cities, roads, and universities to follow the lead of Gqeberha, by embracing a new identity. Everywhere from Cape Town to Kruger National Park is in the firing line.
What places in South Africa could be renamed next? CITIES AND TOWNS:
Cape Town
A Khoi San campaign has been active since 2012, bidding to rename the iconic city of Cape Town. And boy, if you thought Gqeberha was hard to pronounce… get a load of “//Hui !Gaeb”. In the Khoi community, that translates to ‘where the clouds gather’. The chances of success here are slim, but the fight has recently received EFF support.
Durban
Speaking of those Red Berets, they made headlines again on Wednesday for claiming that Durban is actually a ‘racist name’ for a city. It takes its roots from a notorious British colonial figure known as D’urban, and he was chastised by his contemporaries for his views on Africans. If your FELLOW COLONIALISTS are calling you out, it has to be bad…
Brandfort
Last year, Minister Lindiwe Sisulu hinted that the Free State town of Brandfort would be renamed after Winnie Mandela.
Brandfort, situated some 60km north of Bloemfontein, is an iconic landmark in the history of the struggle – and it holds great personal significance for Winnie Mandela herself. She was sent to live in this part of Free State, when the apartheid regime attempted to exile the liberation stalwart for her continued acts of defiance.
East London
EL avoided the renaming frenzy on Tuesday, but for how long remains anyone’s guess. KuGompo has been suggested as the new name for this Eastern Cape town, and this one could happen ‘sooner rather than later’.
EFF wants Forty – four-zero – towns renamed in the Western Cape
Sjoe, the EFF are part of A LOT of renaming campaigns. But yes. They have a plan to change the identities of 40 towns in the Western Cape. Locations from Athlone to Worcester feature on their wish list, which you can read here.
What places in South Africa could be renamed next? UNIVERSITIES, ROADS, OTHERS
Rhodes University
Rhodes University has set up a task team to look into the possibility of changing the university’s name. The university’s SRC has supported calls for the name to be changed. SRC president Zikisa Maqubela said the students will be looking at all the options. Officials at the university are apparently ‘supportive’ of these name changes.
William Nicol Drive
This campaign has been going on for years, but one of the busiest routes in Gauteng is moving towards a permanent name change. Once more, Winnie Mandela has been identified as the new moniker, yet controversy surrounds the project.
Several airports may be renamed
Airports in Port Elizabeth and East London were renamed this week: But there are still some locations under consideration. Cape Town International Airport and Kimberley Airport are having their names reviewed, according to ACSA.
Kruger National Park
The sprawling plains provide some of the greatest safari experiences on Earth, and attract tourists from all over the world. However, Julius Malema and his followers are not best-pleased with Kruger National Park’s name. They believe it is long-overdue a new identity, due to the colonial links with Paul Kruger.
