The battle between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the eThekwini municipality over controversial plans to rename several Durban streets and landmarks was adjourned on Thursday in the Durban High Court.
The DA is asking the court to prevent the municipality from proceeding with the second phase of the renaming process and to have the first phase reversed.
Phase one of the city’s renaming process saw eight major roads in the city centre renamed, as well as two buildings.
The municipality was set to proceed with phase two, but a public outcry and a march of more than 10 000 people through the city centre on May 1 forced the municipality to extend deadlines for residents to raise objections to the proposed changes.
Legal teams for both the municipality and DA agreed to halt all actions until the matter was argued in the Durban High Court next Thursday.
It was agreed that the city manager, Mike Sutcliffe, would present a report on the renaming process to the city’s executive council, but that no decisions would be taken until the matter had been heard. It was also agreed that ward committees that were due to meet to consider name proposals would not do so until the matter had been resolved in court.
On Tuesday, the DA’s eThekwini caucus leader, John Steenhuisen, said the DA was not opposed to the principle of street renaming.
Both the DA and the Inkatha Freedom Party have accused the council, which has an African National Congress majority, of not keeping to the renaming process agreed by all parties.
In a statement released late on Wednesday night, Sutcliffe accused Steenhuisen of lying under oath in his affidavit.
”In a sworn statement … councillor John Steenhuisen claims that the organisers of the 2010 Football World Cup ‘have requested the respondent [eThekwini municipality] not to go ahead with the renaming at least until that event takes place because maps with the existing names have already been distributed overseas’.
”Why Steenhuisen deems it necessary to lie under oath is a matter which will be investigated as I have reported him to the speaker for making such untruthful statements.”
Reacting to Sutcliffe’s statement outside the Durban High Court, Steenhuisen said: ”Being called a liar by Sutcliffe is akin to being called a tyrant by Robert Mugabe.” — Sapa