The African National Congress in Tshwane’s rejection of a proposal raised in its ranks to remove the name Pretoria was welcomed by the Democratic Alliance in the city on Tuesday.
”If the move to remove Pretoria had gone ahead it would have had serious, irreversible repercussions to national reconciliation,” DA regional chairperson Gert Pretorius said in a statement.
The ANC’s Tshwane regional office on Monday released a statement indicating its support to keep the name Pretoria for the city centre, while retaining the name Tshwane to apply to the greater municipal area.
”The ANC leadership in the national executive capital had agreed over 14 months ago to let the matter rest and the place name Pretoria be retained,” said DA spokesperson Derek Fleming.
The DA understood that some members of the ANC had raised the matter again, Fleming said.
A report commissioned by the Tshwane council that was yet to be presented, should not materially affect the now accepted state of affairs, the DA said.
”The report has the status of being advice to council in its deliberations and is in no way binding,” said Fleming.
The report — compiled by a team of academics commissioned by Tshwane mayor Smangaliso Mkhatshwa — was to be presented to the municipal council on February 24, mayoral spokesperson William Baloyi said on Monday.
”The report will be given the mayoral committee and then to political parties for them to discuss the matter internally before it is put to the council.”
If the council adopted the report, the next stage would be a ”public participation process,” Baloyi said. The council would have to decide the format of that process.
Baloyi said all political parties would be given an opportunity to debate the matter before it went to the council.
”How they decide to do it is up to each party.” – Sapa