Committee to help KZN municipalities change geographical names
KZN Arts and Culture MEC Hlengiwe Mavimbela said there are still many names that need to be changed in the province
A COMMITTEE has been formed to assist KZN municipalities in changing the geographical names under their jurisdiction.
The new Provincial Geographical Names Committee (PGNC) is led by newly-elected provincial chairperson Thanduxolo Sabelo.
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It will conduct awareness campaigns in the districts to educate the community on the processes that are followed when changing place names.
KZN Department of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation MEC Hlengiwe Mavimbela said the committee has a major role to play in redefining ‘who we are as indigenous people of KZN’.
‘During the apartheid era people were deprived of their right to freedom and their culture, which is why most places were changed from their original names and re-named after colonisers.
‘This is why the South African Geographical Names Council Act, 1998 came into existence,’ said MEC Mavimbela.
She said in KZN, there are still many names that need to be changed.
‘The minute we do these changes, it will instill pride in the people of KZN. We all have a major role to play in teaching our children about their culture and heritage, and this includes educating them about the historical background of the places we all come from,’ she said.
Meanwhile, the uMhlathuze Municipality last month began its drive to name, rename and correct the spelling of street names within its jurisdiction.
‘Areas such as Dumisani Makhaye Village, Mandlazini and Mzingazi must have their streets named properly.
‘This will be the first phase, which will then be followed by the renaming of other streets as well as the correction of spelling and orthography on other street names and geographical features,’ said uMhlathuze communications manager Mdu Ncalane.
All proposed names will be subjected to a qualification process and members of the community will then be allowed to comment or object to them before approval by council.
New names approved will be registered on the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for ease of communication and be referred to the provincial Geographic Names Committee for registration at provincial level.
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