The Azanian Youth Organisation (Azayo) should pursue its campaign to change South Africa’s name to Azania through Parliament, the Department of Arts and Culture has recommended.
The department’s deputy director general, Themba Wakashe, was responding to an Azayo letter to Minister of Arts and Culture Pallo Jordan, which said South Africa’s current name reflects the legacy of colonialism.
Azayo said in the letter that during the liberation struggle there had been a common understanding among all the liberation movements that ”as soon as we are free the country would be renamed Azania”.
It was also the name written on the gravestones of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko and 1976 Soweto uprising victim Hector Pietersen.
In his reply, which Azayo released to the media on Thursday, Wakashe said ”juristic” names, as opposed to those of geographical features and human settlements, fell outside the mandate of the South African Geographical Names Council, which makes recommendations to the minister.
”I recommend, therefore that Azayo should initiate a parliamentary process through Azapo’s MP, the honourable Mr Pandelani Nefholovodwe in order to get the name of South Africa to be changed to Azania, as you request.”
Azayo is the youth wing of Azapo, the Azanian People’s Organisation.
Azayo spokesperson Sibongile Somdaka said on Thursday evening that Azayo had completed a ”summary report” on the issue, including the department’s response, and would be forwarding it to Azapo as its mother body.
”We are giving the campaign to Azapo to take it further,” he said. ”They’ve been playing a very supportive role.”
He anticipated this would include taking up the issue in Parliament. — Sapa