AfriForum is approaching the High Court in Pretoria to challenge the decision by Gayton Mackenzie, Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, to change the name of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape.

The civil rights organisation seeks to review and set aside the minister’s decision, which was announced in the Government Gazette on 6 February. The notice included 21 place names in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal set for renaming.

No response from minister

Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s head of cultural affairs, said the organisation sent a lawyer’s letter to the minister almost four months ago requesting a review of the decision, but has received no response.

“AfriForum is therefore left with no alternative but to approach the court on behalf of the residents and all for whom the name Graaff-Reinet is of special cultural and historical significance,” Bailey said.

She said the action is motivated by the town’s unique history and the role it has played in South Africa, particularly in the history of Afrikaners.

Community opposition and economic concerns

Surveys have found that most residents of the town oppose the name change. Since the announcement, several petitions and a protest action against the renaming have received wide support.

“Residents associate the name of the town with their history and are proud of it. They are also concerned about the cost of the change, while the town’s infrastructure urgently needs attention,” Bailey said.

She added that a new name would impact negatively on the tourism industry, which is of significant importance to the region’s economy. Clashes on social media have proven that the change does not promote unity among residents, but rather polarises the community, she said.

Process deemed unconstitutional

AfriForum maintains that the process followed with the name change is unconstitutional. The organisation points to a revised version of the South African Geographical Names Council Bill that was recently available for public comments as supporting this view.

Bailey said name changes in the country have become a way to distract communities from important issues such as lack of service delivery, corruption, mismanagement and failure to deliver on election promises.

“Name change processes are often rushed through to create the impression that authorities are in control and are acting forcefully, while the most vulnerable in the communities are left in the lurch and the income of the rest is under threat because of infrastructure challenges,” she said.

She said communities should join forces to find solutions for their future survival rather than becoming polarised over place names.

“Win-win solutions can be found to include the history of all communities without elevating one at the cost of the other,” Bailey said.

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