Pietersburg | Tuesday
THE Northern Province capital of Pietersburg looks set to be renamed Polokwane meaning place of safety on Thursday.
The ad-hoc committee on the renaming of Pietersburg on Monday held a public hearing in the city at which it heard suggestions and arguments.
“The committee will present a list of recommendations to the Northern Province government on Tuesday,” said Pietersburg mayor Thabo Makunyane, adding that public opinion seemed to favour Polokwane.
He said the name Maraba — referring to an old chiefdom – had also been discussed, but was not as popular.
Makunyane said proposals to change Pietersburg’s name had been met with overwhelming resistance from a large sector of the community.
“For the whole of last week we invited public submissions. Some people interpreted that as a kind of a vote. When they made submissions, some of them stuffed hundreds of photocopies – all suggesting the name Pietersburg – into the box,” he said.
However, Makunyane said the current name served as a constant reminder of the city’s colonial past.
“Surely people must understand that. If you look at the existing name, and the names of certain other towns in this province, you will see that there is nothing conciliatory about them,” he said.
Makunyane said the town council did not want to antagonise conservative whites by choosing a name that would add insult to injury.
“That’s why we like Polokwane… it’s conciliatory… we are extending the olive branch,” he said.
Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi is expected to the name change on Thursday.
There has been an ongoing debate in the province since the announcement on January 28 by local government MEC Joe Maswanganyi that the names of major centres would be changed by the end of February.
At the time, Maswanganyi said the current names of towns and streets were “a sad reminder of a history of oppressive colonial practices”.
The names to be changed include Pietersburg, Potgietersrus, Louis Trichardt, Naboomspruit, Nylstroom, Warmbaths, Ellisras, Tzaneen, Hoedspruit and Soekmekaar. – AFP