The town will be moving on from the tongue-twister of an old name, Emnambithi/Ladysmith, to the all-new ‘Alfred Duma Municipality’. That is if ANC councillors and officials get their way. For those who do not know who Alfred Duma is, yes, he is still alive. Here is a basic rundown…

He was a struggle hero and served time on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. A likable guy who we are sure has had this honour thrust upon him without asking for it.

Can any right-thinking South African object? The simple answer is no! But that does not mean council does not have to follow due process and hold public participation meetings. This will have massive financial implications for the town as letter heads, stationery and countless signboards will need changing.

Secondly, we need to be assured that Ladysmith’s tourism industry is not affected in any way by the change.

The reason for the change is rather simple: Ladysmith has swallowed up another failed municipality, Indaka, which was a flop from the start.

So, as long as they follow due process, hold public participation meetings and consult with tourism industry players, roll on ‘Alfred Duma Municipality’!

Obviously the town will still be known as Ladysmith.

But like a R199 infomercial on TV, we get something thrown in for free! Free street name changes, oh yes, free street names.

Now who can guess what they have chosen to replace Murchison Street with?

1) Nelson Mandela Avenue

2) Madhiba Drive

3) Mangethe Zwane Street

If you guessed the name of a notorious taxi-boss linked to numerous taxi-related killings and a massive taxi war between the Zwane and Ndawo clans, you were right. The two bosses, Mangethe Zwane and Peter Ndawo, fought it out for control of the region, leaving dead bodies in their wake…

There are other names changes, but none as controversial as this, unless you want to know which street they have chosen to name after Nelson Mandela? We will give you a clue: Think of the dirtiest street in the CBD. Still baffled? Well, the answer is Lyell Street! Go figure, the greatest South African icon of our time gets Lyell Street; what a shame!

Despite questioning the municipality over a month ago, they have not responded to the issue – either by providing clarity or by giving a timeline of how and when this will occur.

At a council meeting in June, the renaming of Emnambithi/Ladysmith to Alfred Duma Municipality was given the go-ahead.

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