Pretoria is officially Pretoria
2010-02-05 21:32
Johannesburg - The government has complied with AfriForum's demand that Pretoria retain its present name, the organisation said on Friday.
"Minister of Arts and Culture Lulu Xingwana, on Friday complied with AfriForum's demand that the changing of Pretoria's name to Tshwane be retracted by means of an official notice in the Government Gazette," AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said in a statement.
"Pretoria's name is now officially Pretoria again."
Kriel credited AfriForum's legal team and supporters for preventing the name change.
He also thanked 'Xingwana' for being "big-hearted enough to withdraw the name change".
The Government Gazette last week published the ministry's intention to change the geographic name Pretoria to that of its municipal name Tshwane. The ministry said that it would withdraw the change due to "technical matters".
- SAPA