Public hearings on new name for PE and airport

Residents of Nelson Mandela Bay will get the opportunity to propose new names for the Port Elizabeth International Airport at public hearings set to take place on Tuesday.

The first hearing will take place at the Raymond Mhlaba Sports Centre in Motherwell.

The Eastern Cape department of sports, recreation, arts and culture has invited residents to participate in the process of name changes for provincial geographical features located in the metro.

Possible names for the airport include:

● Sipho Hashe International Airport;

● Nelson Mandela Bay Airport;

● Raymond Mhlaba Airport;

● David Stuurman International Airport;

● The Khoi-San International Airport; and

● Nelson Mandela Airport. For the city of Port Elizabeth, the options are Gqebera, I-Bhayi and Nelson Mandela City.

MPL and Khoi and San activist Christian Martin said this was to enable ordinary community members to give their input and be part of the transformation process.

“The imposition of place names was an integral part of the process of establishing supremacy during the colonial and apartheid era.

“A judicial process of transforming place names is thus essential in decolonising society and building an inclusive sense of national identity.

“It is on this premise that the David Stuurman parliamentary constituency office wants to make it known that

Also up for a possible name change is Uitenhage

we are endorsing the names the ‘Chief David Stuurman International Airport’ and ‘Nelson Mandela Bay City’.

“Naming the airport the Chief David Stuurman International Airport will also signify the massive contribution made by the Khoi and San people in assuring we achieved our liberation,” Martin said.

Also up for a possible name change is Uitenhage. Options include Tolofiyeni, Garden Town, Kariega and Kamesh.

That meeting will be held at the Uitenhage Town Hall on Tuesday next week.