Mpumalanga is considering name changes to major towns, including provincial capital Nelspruit, the city said on Friday.
City spokesperson Gordon Nkgathi said: ”The proposed geographical name changes, including the renaming of Nelspruit to Mbombela, have been considered and recommended by the Mpumalanga provincial geographical names committee.”
The proposed names have been published by provincial minister for culture, sport and recreation Jabulani Mahlangu for public comment.
”January 15 has been set as the deadline for comments or objections,” said Nkgathi.
”We are on the verge of a major milestone.
”We are working towards the restoration of the dignity of the indigenous communities of our province whilst simultaneously promoting the preservation of our collective heritage,” said Mahlangu.
Mahlangu said it was important that South Africans acknowledge what existed in pre-colonial South Africa and use that as the basis to build a society that respected the identity, heritage and diversity of the people.
”This overriding principle on which our country’s Constitution is based demands that we act to ensure that all our people feel proud and actively take part in forging a common national identity based on our unique heritage as a nation amongst other nations of the world,” he said. — Sapa