The famous William Moffett Expressway could be renamed to Dennis Brutus Expressway, if Gqeberha-local, Gert Steenkamp’s, proposal is accepted.
In his proposal for the name change, Steenkamp said that renaming a street after Dennis Brutus would be a powerful and fitting way to honour his legacy and contribution to justice and equality.
“This gesture would serve as a constant reminder of his tireless advocacy and dedication to fighting against discrimination and oppression. It would also help to keep his memory alive and inspire future generations to continue working towards a more just and equitable society. Additionally, it would be a meaningful way for the community to pay tribute to an individual who made a profound impact on the struggle for human rights,” he wrote.
Brutus grew up in Gqeberha, and became an activist, educator, journalist, and poet best-known for his campaign to have South Africa banned from the Olympic Games due to its racial policy of apartheid. He died in 2009.
Nelson Mandela University LLB student, Rethabile Holomo, supported Steenkamp’s proposal, and conducted research on him and his work.
said Holomo,
Holomo added that changing the William Moffett Expressway to the Dennis Brutus Expressway will honour his legacy, and act as a constant reminder to his dedication to fighting injustice.
“Before my research, I did not know about him, and I know there are many others we, especially young people, do not know about. I’m glad that Gert brought his name up, and I’m very honoured to be part of a project of this nature. For me, this reminds me of who I am. As much as I am aware about the concerns of some regarding the financial implications involved in changing the name of a street, I do not think we could ever equate the sacrifices made by these leaders to money.”
Sharing Holomo’s sentiments is Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC) chairperson, Christian Martin, who confirmed receipt of the proposal and stood in support of it.
“Fighting and rectifying the ills of the past means we should be committed to demonstrate a commitment to reconciliation. Recognising and honouring the heroes who not only dedicated, but risked, their whole lives to fight racial segregation is our duty. The traumas of the past need to be compensated and we could never put a value to that. People saying that those funds should rather be used to close potholes are very out of touch with the realities of the ordinary citizens, and are spitting in the faces of those leaders who fought tirelessly for us. They should stop giving life to the potholes,” Martin concluded.
The William Moffett Expressway was built following a joint effort by the Mount Pleasant, Mangold Park, and Walmer West Ratepayers Associations, who in the 1960s put pressure on the municipality to create a link over the Baakens Valley.
This is according to John Vieira, who was a city councillor at the time the expressway was built (1972).
“We made a dossier of problems experienced with using the Third Avenue dip in Newton Park, which was the only link between Newton Park and Walmer, and was very dangerous,” he said.
“The Provincial Administrator was very sympathetic towards us and the go-ahead was given to build a bridge, which was to become the William Moffett Expressway,” Vieira said.
Today, forty years later, he thinks that not sufficient attention had been given to ensure that the expressway would not deteriorate further.
“Heavy traffic has put tremendous wear and tear on the road surface, and so far I have not been convinced that it has been properly maintained.”
– excerpt from PE Express, April 2012.
- The proposals for the William Moffett Expressway were approved by Council at its meeting on August 22, 1969.
- Construction was due to start on January 1, 1971.
- The road was officially opened for traffic on November 27, 1972 – at a cost of approximately R2 million.
- The William Moffett Expressway was named after a city engineer, William Moffett.
- The first car to drive on the William Moffett Expressway was the limousine of the then mayor, Solly Rubin.
The William Moffett Expressway was named in honour of William Mee Moffett (aka Bill), who was a city engineer for nearly 20 years. He died in 1969, shortly before the expressway was built. The expressway was opened by his widow, Thea.
