The formation of a new committee that will deal with naming issues forms part of the municipality’s process in developing a naming and name-change policy.
The formation of a new committee that will deal with naming issues forms part of the municipality’s process in developing a naming and name-change policy. Councillor Julia Wells who chaired the previous municipal naming task team said that the old naming task team will not be resuscitated in the form that it had which was a once-off structure constituted to deal with the town’s name change but will deal with all kinds of naming issues.
The new committee will include members of the public from outside of council, who will then recommend the changes to the council.
“The municipality has been working since late last year to design and pass a comprehensive naming policy, which includes a new committee, whose term will be the same as the life of a council,” explained councillor Julia Wells.
She added that this can only take effect once there has been a full council resolution. “The item has gone through the relevant portfolio committee and the Executive Mayoral Committee, so its submission to the full council is the next step,” Wells said.
The new committee will provide a “stable structure” for naming issues such as proposed changes of street names, building names, community halls and even neighbourhoods.
“It will also oversee the naming of new streets that do not have any names, which is an urgent priority. We hope that the new committee will also review the process to date on the town name change and make recommendations,” Wells said.
Makana Mayor Vumile Lwana said that a new committee had to be set up as the previous committee was dysfunctional Wells says.
“The previous committee was appointed by thenmayor, Pumulelo Kate, who asked me to chair it. It simply hada hard time getting everybody to sit together, as other priorities competed too much.
The new committee will have a higher and longer-term status within municipal structures.” A report concerning the allocation of street names from the Director of Community and Social Services was presented to the recent Social Services, Community Empowerment and Protection Services (SCEP) Portfolio Committee meeting. The report said that “it is hoped that the policy will come into effect in June” this year.
After the policy has been adopted by council, a committee to move ahead with all naming issues will be set up.”
The SCEP committee was requested to consider the need to speed up the process of allocation of street names as the allocation of street names plays an important role in any municipality.
The report advised councillors to identify all known unnamed streets in their respective wards so that all necessary information concerning unnamed streets will be gathered by the time the policy is in place.
