A number of Eastern Cape towns could have new names next year. Grahamstown residents could be spending their next winter in Nxele.
A number of Eastern Cape towns could have new names next year. Grahamstown residents could be spending their next winter in Nxele.
Members of the Provincial Geographical Names Council (PGNC) have held meetings with different communities and other stakeholders in the province to gather views on the proposed new names. The committee has, over the past few months; received submissions on what these towns should be renamed.
Some of the proposals are:
East London to become Gompo;
King William’s Town to become Qonce;
Grahamstown to become Nxele;
Uitenhage to become Qhagqiwa;
Committee chairperson, advocate Loyiso Mpumlwana says he does not know when the name change process will be concluded. He added that they also deal with the standardisation of names as well as the getting rid of names which are considered offensive, misspelt or meaningless.
He added that Grahamstown is an offensive name because it is named after Colonel Graham, "who was sent to pave the way for English colonialism” and is a painful reminder of the man's brutality. “It was suggested that the name be changed,” he explained.
He added, that the committee would “listen so that we can take the different views into account.” Mpumlwana stated that while some want the name changed to Nxele, others want Makana or Makhanda or even Maqanda.
“They don't explain the variations in the spelling of Makana but they all agree that the man they are talking about is Nxele,” Mpumlwana said. Nxele was a Xhosa warrior who, during the early 1900s, tried to persuade Xhosa clans to unite and repossess the land taken from them by the colonialists.
“Makana spoke as a prophet of new hope for a people who had been forcibly removed from their land,” said Ben Maclennan in A Proper Degree of Terror.
Mpumlwana is aware of the Keep Grahamstown Grahamstown campaign which argues that the name is not offensive and that it should be maintained. “I've been to all the [affected]areas but I was particularly impressed with Makana Municipality's records of community meetings, they even had videos of community meetings,” he explained.
“They did a very good job; they are the only municipality which produced videos in addition to written submissions.” Mpumlwana took a swipe at those who argue that the cost of the name change is ill-advised, considering the depth of poverty in Grahamstown.
He dismissed the argument saying that no poverty eradication money would be spent on changing names. “You can't compare these two things, there's money for everything,” he added. He equated the argument that the name change process constitutes a blaming of white people for apartheid atrocities to the anti-affirmative action arguments, arguing that “it does not hold water”.
HOW TO CHANGE A PLACE NAME
The law regarding name changes provides that any citizen, property owner or developer, organised body, government department, local authority as well as the South African Post Office is eligible to apply to have place names changed or re-confirmed.
Application forms are available through the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) which has provincial councils throughout the country. Applicants are required to offer motivation for the change and should provide supportive information, such as the origin and meaning of the proposed name; historical evidence justifying its adoption such as oral traditions, archival documents or other relevant facts that may be required.
Once completed, the application forms should be submitted to the municipality who will process and validate the applications by affixing its official stamp. Applications then proceed to the Provincial Geographical Names Council (PGNC) for consideration. A municipality may, at its discretion, conduct public hearings to test the acceptability of the name change.
To arrive at a decision the SAGNC may consult specialists and researchers who can either authenticate or refute the claims of the applicants. The SAGNC meets three times a year. Its schedule may, at times, slow down the pace at which applications are processed.
The SAGNC too has the authority to test the acceptability of the name change by consulting the general public and stakeholders. After concluding its deliberations and consultations the SAGNC submits a proposal for a name change to the Arts and Culture minister who, after due consideration of the matter, makes the final decision to publish the name change in the Government Gazette.
In the instance of a name change that is highly contested or controversial, the minister has the power to investigate the matter further, hold public hearings and access the validating research to satisfy themselves before making a final decision.
