Effort to challenge changes went nowhere

In response to the article in The Herald of March 14, regarding the name change of Port Elizabeth, and the Chirps on March 17, I would like to report the following.

In February last year, I submitted a letter for publication to The Herald following the same complaints from the Eastern Cape Names Change Committee that very few institutions had effected the newly legislated name changes.

In my letter I pointed out that the Eastern Cape government was in dire financial straits, and that such expenditure would surely be gross, fruitless and wasteful the same would apply today should the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality waste money on signage change.

I based my opinion on extracts from a National Treasury document, “Guideline on Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure” (treasury.gov.za).

Section 1 of the PFMA (defines fruitless and wasteful expenditure as “expenditure which was made in vain and would have been avoided had reasonable care been exercised”.

As far as I am aware there has been no determination of the possible cost (probably in the millions of Rand) of replacing signage resulting from the legislated name changes.

Based on the above I decided to lodge a complaint with the Public Protector, but unfortunately in the opinion of the Public Protector this was deemed to be an administrative matter which could not be handled by the Public Protector, as shown in extracts from the letter [I was sent].

I followed the advice of the Public Protector and submitted a “request for access to record of public body” (a Paia form) to three members of the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee secretariat in October 2022.

To date I have had no response from any of them.

In December 2022 and January 2023, I contacted the SA Heritage Resources Agency requesting assistance, as well as the Public Protector in February 2023 not a single response.

On March 21 the country celebrated Human Rights Day

what a farce when, at the stroke of a politician’s pen, 200 years of history is wiped out. In conclusion I will use the same ending I used in February last year: Finally, “Amandla” to the descendants of the brave settlers that landed in Algoa Bay 200 or more years ago, stand up and be counted or you will lose your heritage.

Viva Port Elizabeth viva.

On March 21 we celebrated Human Rights Day — what a farce when, at the stroke of a pen, 200 years of history is wiped out