More changes for cities and towns in SA coming this year
New names are on the horizon...
South Africa is no stranger to renaming cities, towns, and other landmarks.
This year, the country is undergoing a major change in its place names, something that has been in the works for a while.
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According to Business Tech, the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture aims to publish at least three national gazettes detailing name changes for geographical features within SA this year.
The South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) is responsible for approving changes to place names within the country.
In 2021, the SAGNC approved a number of changes to existing place names, many of which are intended to recognise the country's diverse cultural heritage.
Among the changes that are still pending is the renaming of Durban to eThekwini.
The name is derived from the Zulu language and means 'a place of the people'.
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The change would be made to recognise the city’s contribution to the development of the Zulu culture in South Africa.
The city of Pretoria has also been renamed to Tshwane. The name, which is derived from the Sotho language, translates to 'we are the same'.
This change was made to recognise the city’s role in the South African struggle for liberation.
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South Africa has seen several key name changes over the last few years, mainly concentrated in the Eastern Cape.
Aside from the naming of new geographic features in KwaZulu-Natal, most of the changed names for towns and cities have been in the Eastern Cape.
According to the South African Geographical Names Council, 103 geographical name changes have occurred in the Eastern Cape since 2019.
Over the last two years, a host of significant name changes took place, including new names for Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), Cradock (now Nxuba), and Uitenhage (now Kariega).
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The most recent changes were for smaller towns in the Eastern Cape. The process will take three to five years, continuing in 2023/24.
This will ultimately include legislation change and review, since some of the entities will have their founding legislation combined to allow for the establishment of a single entity.
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Main image attribution: My South Africa