Port Elizabeth: what’s in a name

GQEBERHA: BIG CHANGE BLOWS INTO THE ‘WINDY CITY’

Renaming of city to Gqeberha has some clicking their tongues, while others welcomed it.

Hailed as a ‘step in the right direction’ by Khoisan king and the EFF.

The renaming of Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape has been welcomed as an acknowledgment of a growing a sense of identity for most South Africans.

It might just be the beginning, as political parties call for more transformation and the renaming of other places.

On Tuesday, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa officially approved the new Xhosa geographical names of the “Windy City”, airport and a mountain.

However, Chief Khoisan SA, who has been camping on the Union Building grounds in Pretoria since 2017, is from PE.

“We are completely against the renaming of the places to Xhosa names, despite it being a step in the right direction,” Chief Khoisan SA said.

He was, however, pleased with the renaming of the airport to Chief David Stuurman International Airport.

“We still want the government to recognise us as the first nation in the country, not Xhosa or Zulu.”

He had discussions with Minister Jeff Radebe in November last year, calling on the government to recognise the Khoisan as the first nation in South Africa and to replace the word coloured with Khoisan.

The Economic Freedom Fighters yesterday welcomed the name changes.

“We feel name changes are part of decolonisation and the bigger struggle to transform South Africa into a demographically representative and democratic country,” read the statement.

The party criticised the transformation project’s speed and said it was too slow, like many other cultural changes that need to happen in South Africa.

“Namely, the removal of apartheid statues and the removal of Die Stem from our national anthem.” – marizkc@citizen.co.za