South Africa is to rename all schools named after apartheid figures, Education Minister Kader Asmal said on Monday. Asmal told journalists the names of schools honouring apartheid leaders like D.F. Malan and Hendrick Verwoerd, former prime ministers who are considered architects of the racist system, gave offence to the majority of South Africans. “A name like Hendrik Verwoerd High School — how can anybody not agree that that is offensive seven years into democracy?” he asked. Whites who wanted to cling to the old names must realise that other races have been “very generous and they should not exploit that generosity,” he added. The renaming of cities, streets and landmark buildings has taken place in an ad hoc fashion since the advent of democracy in 1994 but Asmal said he hoped other branches of government would follow the education ministry’s example. – AFP