It’s official – G’town is no more
Makhanda is new name, but folks more fazed about crumbling city
WELCOME to Makhanda! Goodbye to Grahamstown. Just as the National Arts Festival got under way in the city, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa announced he had gazetted the name change, which was the last stage of a 20-year discussion process, he said.
But the battle for the city’s name is far from over with the main opposition group Keep Grahamstown Grahamstown (KGG) saying it had not excluded the possibility of resorting to court to keep the city’s original name.
KGG chair Jock McConnachie questioned the legality of the public consultation process and said it was possible they would go to court.
Mthethwa said the process followed was exactly in line with legislation. He said Colonel John Graham, after whom Grahamstown was named, was one of the most brutal and vicious British commanders on the frontier.
“Makhanda, also known as Nxele, was a Xhosa warrior, philosopher, prophet and military man who fought against colonialism in battles that include one [Battle of Egazini] where he led an attack against the British garrison in Grahamstown in 1819.”
He was jailed on Robben Island and drowned while attempting to escape the notorious prison.
Ironically, the newly named Makhanda falls under the Makana municipality. They are alternative spellings for the same Xhosa philosopher-warrior.
While some will welcome the name change and others decry it, residents in Makana have been far more concerned about municipal governance in the region.
Makana municipality has become known for its collapsing water, road
Government has to date found far more resilience to name change than they expected . . . I predict the battle is far from over