Pietersburg | Saturday
A GROUP of Afrikaners in a protest against the proposed renaming of Pietersburg and other Northern Province towns – on Friday vowed to set up alternative city councils in the province.
They also expressed support for the idea of withholding tax to underline their resistance to the new names.
The demonstration took the form of a motorcade that drove through Pietersburg to deliver a memorandum to Northern Province Premier Ngoako Ramathlodi.
The document said: ”Community councils will now have to be established in every town …to evolve as alternative city councils.”
The memorandum also called for the practicality of a tax boycott to be investigated.
The legality of the name changes would be examined.
Representative Koos Kemp said about 100 cars took part in the protest and police kept a close watch.
”The policemen formed the largest part of the crowd that watched us,” he said. The legislature on Tuesday approved Limpopo as the new name for the province. Ramatlhodi said the proposed name was submitted to Parliament to allow for the necessary amendments to the Constitution.
The premier also announced that Warmbaths would become Bela-Bela, Nylstroom Modimolle, Potgietersrus Mokopane, Pietersburg Polokwane and Messina Musina.
Not all the names due for change had been altered. It allowed more time for consultation, he said.
Friday’s protesters warned that the renaming would provoke trouble.
”There usually is a political motive behind name changes. This evokes negative feelings and antagonism,” the memorandum said.
Northern Province Freedom Front leader Johan Willemse described the changes as an insult to the Afrikaner.
”We are deeply offended and will not take this lying down,” he told Sapa.