Goodbye East London – big name changes coming for South Africa

#eastlondon #newssouthafrica #portelizabeth
___________________________________

__________________________________

🏆 Become a member to my YT Channel for some perks:

___________________________________

___________________________________

⬇️ Social media Links 📱:

MEC for Sports, Recreation, Art and Culture in the Eastern Cape, Sibulele Ngongo, says her department is moving ahead with further name changes in the province, with big towns being targeted.

When she delivered her maiden policy address on Thursday (8 August), the MEC said that the department plans to give new names to East London, Aberdeen, and Colchester, among others.

This would add to the significant number of other name changes in the province over the last few years, which included the change from Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha.

Some of the most notable changes in the province in recent years include:

Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha;
Morgan’s Bay to Gxarha;
Cradock to Nxuba;
Uitenhage to Kariega;
King Williamstown to Qonce;
Queenstown to Komani; and
Grahamstown to Makhanda.

Notably, the province has tried to change the name of East London previously.

In a parliamentary Q&A earlier this year, the minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture noted that a proposal to change the name of East London was the only application of hundreds processed to be rejected.

The minister explained that the application, submitted in 2020, was to change East London to KuGompo. While he did not explain why it was rejected, this was reportedly because there was already a settlement with that name in the metro.

More name changes to come

South Africans should expect a host of name changes in the coming years.

There are currently 66 applications for name changes for several geographical features in South Africa, listed by the South African Geographic Names Council (SAGNC) as being processed.

These name changes will apply to various geographical features across the country as outlined within the SAGNC mandate, including towns, villages, settlements, townships, mountains, rivers, airports, roads, and post offices.

The council has gazetted and named or renamed 1,505 geographical features in South Africa since its inception.

The total number of applications received and gazetted KZN since the start of the geographical names process in the Republic of South Africa stands at 362, while the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC) has noted 312.

Aside from naming new geographic features in KwaZulu-Natal in 2023, most of the changed names for towns and cities for that year were in the Eastern Cape.

In 2024, two prominent name changes that were pushed through include renaming Willliam Nicol Drive in Joburg to Winnie Mandela Drive, and renaming Ladysmith in KwaZulu Natal to Alfred Duma.

[DerekduToit]

At what Fix the freaking roads first !!!

[sibabalolucwaba]

What's so boring they should be using the money on improving the state of poor people in the province instead of this.

[denisehattingh]

Don't they ever run out of ideas to waste money.

[CornéVenter-pv]

ANC have no idea how to work with money and have no idea what's important to fix first. Take that money fix the roads for example.

[mk-xqtt]

What has the ANC built in SA? All they do is take and change, take and destroy - truly I don`t know of one city or town they have established.

[fantasticfox]

I agree. Name changes dont bother me either. In terms of priority though spending money and resources on what is essentially vanity while jobs, infrastructure, education, policing, public transport etc is a disaster is insanity. There are far more important things to spend money and time on than name changes.

[bsleds]

Against build a town give it a name leave our history alone bloody thieves

[grantembleton]

the poorest province in South Africa, yet they can waist money on this instead or sorting out the roads, hospitals and schools

[AlbertusMBezuidenhout]

Lets also change the name of our currency to the....FOKOLI !!

[ryandebeer]

Wasting money on name changing. There are much better ways to spend that money.

[susankoster]

"New pajamas for a terminally ill patient "came to my mind just now😢

[bafanapeter]

Port Elizabeth - Bhayi
Gqeberha - this word refers to the river that runs down the southern part of (Port Elizabeth) called Barkens River. It literally means Barkens River as far as I know.

[skywalker]

Took South Africa 372 years to establish itself, then just 30 years to destroy everything decent. Nice!

[yvonnebasson]

They can change the names as much as they want but it will change nothing in SA

[lwandomadikizela]

PE having a name change doesn't even make sense one bit. Even changing the name East London don't make sense.

[nelsonchinasamy]

I will never understand the madness behind such thinking. A name change is not cheap because the are so
Many other changes that must follow,

[Lawrence-bk]

So much to do schools, pit toilets, etc but priority lets change town and street names.

Been living here for 62 years but now get lost in my own country as i dont know where these places are

[MeezanTheFairBloke]

Build NEW things... and put your names on that 🤣🤣

[brendankohler]

Build your own fcukin city if you want to name it. Create something for a change instead of only destroying everything ANC.