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Name changes 'make us African'
31/08/2007 07:46 - (SA)
Cape Town - President Thabo Mbeki said in Parliament on Thursday that name changes for South African cities and towns allowed the country to move closer to its African identity, SABC television news reported.
"In some instances these [unchanged] names give the impression that South Africa is an European outpost rather than a truly African country."
Mbeki called on Members of Parliament to work together on name change issues to more fairly reflect South Africa's culture, said the SABC.
Earlier this week, Tshwane politicians got embroiled in a war of words over a Pretoria High Court ruling that provisionally halted Tshwane metro council plans to replace the name Pretoria with Tshwane on road signs.
Tshwane row
At the beginning of August, the metro council confirmed it planned to replace "Pretoria" roadsigns with the words "Tshwane" or "City of Tshwane".
The Freedom Front Plus and AfriForum then went to court and were granted an urgent interim interdict against the name change.
After the court ruling, Tshwane mayor Gwen Ramakgopa apparently called for the parties that dragged the council to court to resign from the council.
"We have embraced the Voortrekker Monument, Die Stem as a component of the new National Anthem, the statue of Paul Kruger and many other Afrikaner symbols in spite of the painful history that subjugated and denied us our humanity," Ramakgopa said.
Tshwane region ANC secretary Blanco Mabaso warned that opposition parties should "be glad that there still is a neighbourhood with the name Pretoria.
Do not tempt the ANC (or) we will change that as well," he said.
Tshwane Metro Council DA leader Fred Nel said Mabaso's statement "shines big red warning lights for democracy in South Africa".
FF Plus chairperson in the greater Pretoria region Willie Spies said the ANC reaction to the court ruling was "infantile" and revealed a "Mugabe mentality of the local ANC".
- SAPA
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