New ‘Tshwane’ fight

The protracted battle to change the name of Pretoria to Tshwane is far from over and will be thrust into the spotlight again.

Pretoria - The protracted battle to change the name of Pretoria to Tshwane is far from over and will be thrust into the spotlight again next month.

A legal challenge by civil rights organisation AfriForum on the matter is scheduled to be heard in the high court during the first week of April.

The matter will also be included in mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa’s final State of the Capital Address of the current local government term on April 21.

“The mayor will use the occasion to pronounce on the legal process and our final stand on the issue. He will also share popular views on the resolution of the issue,” his spokesman Blessing Manale said yesterday.

“We still believe in the initial decision to rename the city, as it was based on an overwhelming view of the majority of citizens.”

Manale said the delay in renaming the nation’s capital in accordance with a 2005 council resolution was largely due to the legal challenge. The decision was taken after the amalgamation of 13 disbanded municipalities in 2000 to establish the City of Tshwane.

A special council sitting of March 7, 2005, set up a research team to look into the feasibility of changing the name of Pretoria to Tshwane. The findings, based on written and oral submissions, as well as public opinion, suggested that there were grounds for changing the name of Pretoria to Tshwane, according to the city.

The office of the city manager then initiated the necessary legal and administrative procedures to register the geographic area that constituted the municipality as a city with the name Tshwane.

But in May of that year, AfriForum took the matter to court, saying the decision was taken without a proper public participation process. In 2012, Ramokgopa declared the renaming process would be finalised despite the opposition and the cost.

Manale said the delay was due to the pending legal case and additional consultation with different stakeholders.

“We believe the overwhelming use of the name Tshwane over the past 10 years has made the resistance to the name change academic; the name has been embraced by many stakeholders, business and the general public,” said Manale.

AfriForum leader Kallie Kriel said their legal team was ready to deal with the matter in court.

Kriel said they would defend the retention of Pretoria as part of the heritage. The group also believed there was place for both names - Pretoria for the city and Tshwane for the municipality - as was currently the case.

“I have accepted the name of the council as Tshwane; I would like the same principle to apply with regards to Pretoria,” he said.

Kriel argued the city put its intention to change the city’s name on hold because of public pressure and the upcoming municipal elections.

He said the process was flawed, and the city had to be pressured by the then minister of arts and culture Paul Mashatile to allow for public participation.

“The public participation process showed that more than 80% of participants were opposed to the proposed change, but the city somehow still wanted to go ahead with this process,” he concluded.

Manale said the city stood by the initial council resolution because the renaming of Pretoria was not a selfish political manoeuvre.

The decision, he said, was a genuine expression of the will of the majority of South Africans to have an identity that was reflective of their aspirations and history.

He said the matter was on the agenda of the National Geographic Names Council, which would make a recommendation to incumbent Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa.

“We remain confident that we have made a strong point to the minster and the council to consider,” he said.

However, Arts and Culture Department spokeswoman Lisa Combrinck, said the ministry referred the matter back to the City of Tshwane. “The city is thus in a better position to respond on this issue,” said Combrinck.

“That said, we can confirm that no fresh application has been received by the South African Geographical Names Council to change the name of Pretoria to Tshwane.”

In 1853, a Voortrekker called MW Pretorius, son of Andries Pretorius, bought two farms along the Apies River to establish the capital of all the Afrikaner communities in South Africa. He called the new town Pretoria, in honour of his father.

Tshwane is the authentic African name of the area, a name used by early inhabitants who lived near the Tshwane River under the leadership of Chief Tshwane. According to historical records, Chief Tshwane was the son of Chief Mushi, who moved from KwaZulu-Natal to settle in the area before the arrival of the Voortrekkers from the Cape.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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