A team of Cacadu District Municipality councillors spearheading the process to change the region's name were in Grahamstown on Monday 30 September to talk to the people about their plans.
A team of Cacadu District Municipality councillors spearheading the process to change the region's name were in Grahamstown on Monday 30 September to talk to the people about their plans.
Holding a public meeting in Joza's Noluthando hall, they explained that they are embarking on a process to rename Cacadu the Sara Baartman District Municipality.
Public hearings have been held in Cacadu's nine local municipalities to discuss the proposed name change.
Makana Local Municipality councillor Julie Wells, who is also on Cacadu's council, said the public participation meetings were a council recommendation from the district municipality. "In the hearings we explained the consultation process to the people from different wards. We explained the proposal to change the name to Sara Baartman, what the name represents," Wells said.
"Sara Baartman was one of the women whose rights were abused. This is a way of recognising and honouring someone who was victimised as a woman."
The public hearing in Makana was a success, according to Wells. "We opened the floor so that people could express their views about the changing of the name – there was no hesitation."
She did however mention one person who disputed the way the process had been carried out. Wells said the citizen complained that people should have been consulted before the municipality began to make recommendations.
"Other than that, everyone was fully supportive of the process and understood the thinking and the reasoning behind it," she said.
Wells said a report would be tabled in the district council about the public hearings. Then the proposal will go to the Geographical Names Committee and the province oversight purposes.
