Street name changes in Pretoria (9 May 2012) (Photo: Alexander Joe / AFP)
The process of changing and standardizing geographical names in South Africa may be more strictly regulated in the coming years if proposed amendments to the South African Geographical Names Council Act (SAGNC) are accepted.
The draft amendment bill on the SAGNC provides, among other things, for an appeals tribunal, a clearer definition of public consultation and changes to the term and operation of the council.
The SAGNC advises the minister of sport, art and culture on the transformation, standardization and management of geographical names for official use.
Johnny Mohlala, vice-chairman of the SAGNC, says the review of the legislation is necessary because there are gaps in the existing law.
“The process started more than three years ago, in the previous administration. What necessitated the review is that there were a number of gaps identified in the current legislation. Those gaps had to be dealt with and that is the reason why the law had to be subjected to a review process.”
According to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the standardization of geographical names is part of an effort to address the legacy of colonial and apartheid-era names and to better reflect indigenous languages, cultural heritage and natural heritage.
However, Mohlala believes that the process is going too slowly.
“In my opinion, we are moving at a very slow pace, considering that since the law was passed in 1998, we are only at about 1,500 names. There are still a number of names that need to be standardized. If we don’t move quickly now, the process could take longer than it should.”
He says there is no set target for name changes, as the process is constantly changing as new settlements develop or existing names are considered undesirable.
One of the proposed changes is the establishment of an appeals tribunal where decisions on name changes can be reviewed. Mohlala says this can tackle an existing gap in the process, as objections are currently submitted to the minister after the minister himself announced the name change in the Government Gazette published.
The bill also seeks to define more clearly what public consultation entails.
“Over the years there has never been a definition of what constitutes consultation. We have been in court, and it was through court judgments that we came to an understanding of what the court considers to be sufficient consultation,” said Mohlala.
The process of changing a geographic name begins when an application is handled by a provincial geographic names committee and then submitted to the SAGNC. The council assesses whether the application meets the requirements before making a recommendation to the minister.
However, Mohlala says the process does not end when a name is published.
“After publication in the Government Gazette Anyone unhappy with the decision still has about 30 days to file an objection to the name change. Even after the objection process is completed, someone can still go to court.”
He admits that name changes often evoke strong emotion.
“Name change is a very emotional process. It’s not surprising that some people take offense when we think we’re doing the right thing.”
According to Mohlala, the council could possibly do more to inform the public about the purpose of name changes.
“Perhaps we are not doing enough in terms of public awareness,” he said.