Minister expected to make pronouncements on name changes

By Ofentse Mokae
15 January 2010

Arts and Culture minister Lulu Xingwana is expected to make a pronouncement with regards to the issue of changing Pretoria’s name to Tshwane.

The Geographical Names Council says it is waiting on Xingwana to make the pronouncement.

The council held the first of its quarterly meetings in Durban yesterday.

Council chairperson Tommy Ntsewa told the media after the meeting that the council made a recommendation after its sitting in Bloemfontein in 2005 that Tshwane should be the capital’s new name.

Ntsewa says Xingwana is expected to make an announcement soon.

Xingwana is also expected to announce her approval that zulu warrior King Shaka be named after Durban’s new La Mercy airport, next week.

It is reported that the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government made a submission to the council after a process of consulting with the public that the airport be known as King Shaka International Airport.

The council, responsible to advice the minister on the transformation and standardisation of geographical names for official purposes, endorsed the name and sent it to the minister for approval.

However it is now the minister’s prerogative to decide to uphold the new name, or to refer the decision back to the council for reconsideration.

In another development the Department of Sport and Recreation announced that the Tshwane Sport Council can make changes to colours and emblems of sports structures provided it follows democratic protocols.

A disagreement rose between the newly established council and some of representatives of sport structures in Pretoria over proposed changes of emblems and colours

However, civil rights organisation AfriForum has said it will take the matter to court on behalf any sport code that opposes the council’s proposals.