DA urges MEC to stop name change

Sonia Wahl

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged the Minister of Sports, Art and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, to halt the proposed name changes for Graaff-Reinet, Aberdeen, Nieu-Bethesda and Adendorp in the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality. The DA asserts that the process, overseen by the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC), lacks transparency and public involvement. Despite the DA's objections and requests for information through the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia), the DA says that the ECPGNC has ignored their concerns and withheld pertinent details about the proposed names and their proponents. "Public hearings held in the affected towns revealed significant opposition from residents, with only limited support observed, particularly in the case of Graaff-Reinet, where supporters of renaming dominated one meeting," said Samantha Graham-Maré, DA Constituency Leader and DA Shadow Minister of Electricity.

The DA contends that the process appears to lack objectivity and true public participation and appears to have a predetermined outcome, raising concerns about the democratic principles underlying the name change process. They emphasise the importance of residents' voices being heard and express their commitment to prioritising substantive changes over symbolic ones. In the letter that Graham-Maré addressed to Kodwa, she said as the DA Constituency Leader of the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality and a resident of Graaff-Reinet, she had grave concerns about the lack of transparency and fairness in the process of proposed name changes for several towns in the municipality. She highlighted various instances of procedural irregularities and inadequate public engagement throughout the process. In the letter, Graham-Maré outlined the series of public hearings held in each town, noting significant flaws such as insufficient attendance registers, limited opportunities for stakeholders to speak, and the refusal of the committee to disclose important information about the name change proposals. Moreover, she raised concerns about the composition of the committee, particularly its inability to communicate effectively in Afrikaans, a language spoken by the majority of the municipality's residents. In a detailed account of each public hearing, GrahamMaré emphasised the overwhelming opposition from residents to the proposed name changes, with only limited support observed in certain instances.

She urged the authorities to reconsider any changes to the town names, emphasising that proceeding with the proposed changes would disregard the will of the majority of residents and undermine the principles of participative democracy.

Graham-Maré intends to submit all the petitions against the name change to the Speaker of Parliament and the Minister on Monday 18 March. She said that the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) is sitting in May to consider the applications and then to advise the minister, and adds that they will need do so before the elections. "The Government Gazette will come out in October - either with the new names or the names unchanged," she said. Thereafter the public has 30 days to lodge objections. "We already have hundreds, if not thousands of objections ready to go," she stressed.

They emphasise the importance of residents’ voices being heard and express their commitment to prioritising substantive changes over symbolic ones.