Sandton Drive will be renamed, but what?
A decision to rename Sandton Drive sounds to have been taken by the city, which has proposed Leila Khaled’s name for the drive in Sandton.
Thousands of voices from across the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) have been collected by the city over the proposal to rename Sandton Drive after Palestinian activist Leila Khaled.
Read more: How do you feel about the proposal to rename Sandton Drive after Palestinian activist Leila Khaled?
The city issued a notice on September 18 inviting comments from interested or affected parties over the name proposed. The deadline to have all petitions submitted at the Arts, Culture, and Heritage directorate in Newtown was set for 16:00 on October 15 – following which no further submissions would be accepted.
Ward councillors from the Sandton region, represented by Wards 90, 93, and 103 councillors Martin Williams, Vino Reddy, and Lynda Shackleford, submitted over 5 500 objections by the afternoon on behalf of concerned residents of Sandton.
DA member of Parliament Leah Potgieter, questioning whether the city can afford the operation, said that the city cannot move budget around outside of legislated budget cycles. Potgieter also pointed out that the city has been, ‘unable to fund critical infrastructure projects’, throughout Sandton, Alex, and surrounding areas.
“It comes as no surprise that Joburg’s community development department have stated that they do not have funds for the costly renaming of Sandton Drive and would attempt to get the transport department to pay for it,” said Potgieter. “While the ANC coalition in Joburg have the audacity to demand that money meant for basic infrastructure should be pumped into an unnecessary road renaming exercise, the DA stands firm on putting residents first.”
The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) also publicly voiced their strong opposition to the proposal to rename the drive after Khaled. The federation’s spokesperson, Ronel Marks, said on September 23 that the proposal disregards the city’s 2017 policy on renaming streets and public places – citing the importance of a name’s local relevance, and capacity to cohesively build a community sustainable to fostering unity.
“Renaming Sandton Drive after a failed terrorist with ties to a globally recognised terrorist organisation not only sows division among residents but also contradicts the city’s renaming policy,” said Marks, reminding of Khaled’s involvement in more than one attempt at hijacking aircrafts in the late 1960s and early 70s. “It potentially burdens businesses with address changes and undermines confidence in the city.”
Also read: Renaming of Sandton Drive to proceed despite objections, says MMC Kabelo Gwamanda
A coalition of representatives from Al Jama-Ah, the ANC, and the Africa for Palestine organisation rallied outside the drop-off venue, submitting a total of 73 000 petitions in favour of the proposal to rename, collected from residents from across the greater spectrum of Johannesburg.
Africa for Palestine’s communication and campaigns manager Alie Komape, contrary to the SAZF, expressed how the proposal showed South Africa’s solidarity with – and support for – Palestine, and the Palestinian people.
“The petitions that were sent by email, through the online platform, are well over 100 000 in support of renaming after Leila Khaled. The volume of people tells you the support Palestine enjoys in this city,” Komape celebrated. “We don’t have the wisdom of the city, unfortunately, of knowing how many names were considered, or what the shortlisting process was. We don’t know. What we do know is that they were looking for a name which shows solidarity with Palestine.”
Komape stressed that this process ought not to be regarded as a referendum, highlighting how it’s not.
“This is an administrative process of the city. It’s not a vote. If we had a referendum every time the city had to make a decision, we would end up voting over everything,” Komape said. “They are gathering public comments, just like they did with Winnie Mandela Drive, to give an idea of what the city’s residents are saying about this.”
With all the different groups who submitted their comments, it is agreed that this is the most participation the CoJ has ever seen with regards to a street renaming.
As reported online by the Sandton Chronicle, on October 15, in Newtown, MMC for Community Development Kabelo Gwamanda said that the proposal to rename Sandton Drive is a function that has been budgeted for by the department. Gwamanda also confirmed that the renaming of Sandton Drive was on the cards.
“I would be in a position later on to inform you exactly how much it’s going to cost us,” Gwamanda said. “Public participation is for measuring the impact that it has on society, but the city has, ultimately, decided on the renaming.”
Sandton was established in 1969, starting out as a farming community. The name of the town comes from the combination of two of its suburbs: Sandown and Bryanston.
Additional source: Sandtoncentral.co.za.
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