Makana Municipality Communications Officer Thandy Matebese has confirmed that the municipality has chosen a new logo, which will be launched during the opening of a council event on 26 February.
Makana Municipality Communications Officer Thandy Matebese has confirmed that the municipality has chosen a new logo, which will be launched during the opening of a council event on 26 February.
The process was started in 2007 with researchers and fieldworkers conducting interviews with various stakeholders to find out if a change was needed.
The researchers interviewed businesses and households not only in Grahamstown but in the surrounding
areas as well. However, before embarking upon this process, Matebese saidthat the municipality confirmed
that they do not need to obtain special permission to make changes and they did not need to get the public’s votes to do so either.
Matebese said that because the region has so many game farms, the current logo which is of two horns, two olive branches, five hands and a star has become lost among the many current game farms’
logos.
Business owners in the community also agreed that the logo does not sell the municipality and therefore in a way it has lost its identity.
The director of Grahamstown Tourism Willem Makkink said that he is not impressed with the logo and he feels it doesn’t really represent what Makana stands for or is known for.
He said that the new logo will not affect the tourism office in a major way because they have their own logo and marketing tools.
However, he said that the new logo should represent the whole of the Makana region as well as its rich history.
“The colonialists, whether they have done good or bad should be incorporated into the new logo as well as the indigenous people who were the first inhabitants of this area,” he said. He added that the logo shouldn’t only look to politics but should incorporate businesses.
Matebese said that the new logo will encompass the different elements that makeup Makana Municipality such as the educational institutions, festivals, the culture, rich historyand the flora and fauna of
the region.
“People will love the new logo, they will be so proud of it,” he said. He added that after the launch, there will be roadshows in Grahamstown, Alicedale and Riebeek East to introduce the new logo to the people.
Matebese said that the municipality does not want to put the logo out there before it is launched because they want it to have an impact when it is finally launched. The municipality has set aside R500 000 for the implementation phase of the launch process.
This money will go towards the launch, advertising and signage on official vehicles as well as the press kits
and promotional material.
