While a large part of the country has come to a standstill due to the national lockdown, there is still movement behind the scenes to have Port Elizabeth’s name changed.
The proposed names were referred to the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC) for a process of orthography, shortly before the lockdown.
Zukile Jodwana, deputy chairperson of the ECPGNC, said this step was necessary as some of the names were Khoi origin and the original writing style and context of the names had to be investigated.
The names were proposed after several public meetings were held in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro at the end of 2018. After a shortlist was announced, the committee received two petitions from people who are against the name change. It was considered, after which it was rejected and the process continued.
The committee announced earlier this year that the proposed new names for Port Elizabeth, the airport and two surrounding towns were as follows:
- Port Elizabeth – Gqeberha
- Port Elizabeth International Airport – Chief David Stuurman Airport
- Uitenhage – Kariega
- Rosedale – Kamesh
According to Jodwana, Gqeberha is the Xhosa name for the Baakens River (which flows through the city), but it was the Khoi who originally used it to refer to the “local river valley”.
He said the name change process required that the exact origin and history of a name be checked and understood.
Following the orthography process, the committee would prepare a final report with recommendations and submit it to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nkosinathi Mthethwa.
The minister would then consider the proposal.
If the proposal was accepted, an announcement would be made and a period of 30 days would follow, which would serve as a last chance for objections or comments regarding the name changes.
After feedback had been provided on the comments, the final decision would be announced.
Jodwana said the committee would likely meet again in October, when the lockdown regulations were expected to be further relaxed, to draft the final report.
However, he did not want to speculate how long the minister would take to announce that next step.
