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85 towns hit with name changes in South Africa – and more are on the way
Data from the South African Geographic Names Council (SAGNC) shows that 1,505 name and name changes have been given since the start of the standardisation of the place names process, and 85 towns are among these.
The SAGNC was established by the South African Geographical Names Council Act, 1998 (Act No.118 of 1998) as the body responsible for standardising geographical names in South Africa.
According to the Council, its mission is to standardise geographical names in South Africa and to redress, correct and transform the geographical naming system in South Africa.
The SAGNC recorded data shows that name changes are proposed for several geographical features, including towns, villages, settlements, townships, mountains, rivers, airports, roads, and post offices.
Interestingly, the data shows that the council has gazetted and named or renamed 1,505 geographical features in South Africa since its inception.
According to the data, most of the naming and name changes have occurred in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), while the Eastern Cape and Limpopo were also popular provinces.
Of the 1,505 items noted on the SAGNC’s data sheet, 85 were Towns.
It must be noted that the data gathered from the SAGNC suggests that either the old name of the town was not recorded or the town was new and, therefore, was then given a name.
Data collection seems to have improved after 2010. The full list of the 85 name changes or new names is given in the table below.
Year Old name New name Province 2000 – Chief A Luthuli Park Gauteng 2000 – N12 Highway Park Gauteng 2000 – Badirile Gauteng 2000 – Gateway Mpumalanga 2000 – Mamello Gauteng 2001 – Boshoek North West 2001 – Strydomsdrift Limpopo 2001 – Isisekelo Gauteng 2002 Ellisras Lephalale Limpopo 2002 Potgietersrus Mokopane Limpopo 2002 Messina Musina Limpopo 2002 Pietersburg Polokwane Limpopo 2002 Nylstroom Modimolle Limpopo 2002 Dendron Mogwadi Limpopo 2004 Hartbeesfontein Lethabong North West 2004 – Thembani Eastern Cape 2005 – Magobe Extension 1 Northern Cape 2005 Tabankulu Ntabankulu Eastern Cape 2005 Pirintsu Pirintsho Eastern Cape 2005 – Riverside Gauteng 2005 Crystal Park Ext 17 Summerfields Gauteng 2006 – eMalahleni Mpumalanga 2006 – KwaDukuza KwaZulu-Natal 2006 – Malalane Mpumalanga 2006 – Evergreen Lifestyle Estate Mpumalanga 2006 – Orlando Ekhaya Gauteng 2006 – Aspen Lakes Gauteng 2006 – Begwa Limpopo 2006 – Bela-Bela Limpopo 2006 – Bhisho Eastern Cape 2006 – Boardwalk Meander Free State 2006 – Centane Eastern Cape 2006 – Dutywa Eastern Cape 2006 – Early Dawn North West 2006 – Hammanskraal West Free State 2006 – Lakeside Estates Eastern Cape 2006 – Langalokukhanya KwaZulu-Natal 2006 – Midstream Estate Free State 2006 – Modjadjiskloof Limpopo 2006 – Mthatha Eastern Cape 2006 – Ngcobo Eastern Cape 2006 – Ngqamakhwe Eastern Cape 2006 – Ngqika Eastern Cape 2006 – Ormonde View Gauteng 2006 – Senwabarwana Limpopo 2006 – Wigwam North West 2006 – Mvane Eastern Cape 2006 – Nokaneng Mpumalanga 2006 Naboomspruit Mookgophong Limpopo 2009 Badplaas eManzana Mpumalanga 2010 Piet Ritief eMkhondo Mpumalanga 2010 – Tshwane Gauteng 2010 Mafikeng Mahikeng North West 2010 Amanzimtoti eManzimtoti KwaZulu-Natal 2010 Umdloti eMdloti KwaZulu-Natal 2010 Tongaat oThongathi KwaZulu-Natal 2010 Congella KwaKhangela KwaZulu-Natal 2011 – Nokakgolo Free State 2011 Mkuze eMkhuze KwaZulu-Natal 2011 Ixopo eXobho KwaZulu-Natal 2012 Petrus Steyn Mamafubedu Free State 2013 Greylingstad Nthrowane Mpumalanga 2013 Grootvlei Thaba-Kgwali Mpumalanga 2013 Mzinto eMuziwezinto KwaZulu-Natal 2015 Jamestown James Calata Eastern Cape 2015 Aliwal North Maletswai Eastern Cape 2015 Clocolan Hlohlolwane Free State 2016 Lady Frere Cacadu Eastern Cape 2016 Queenstown Komani Eastern Cape 2016 Mount Frere KwaBhaca Eastern Cape 2016 Mount Ayliff MaXesibeni Eastern Cape 2016 Elliot Khowa Eastern Cape 2017 Melomoth eMthonjaneni KwaZulu-Natal 2018 Grahamstown Makhanda Eastern Cape 2019 – Tshoxa Eastern Cape 2021 MaClear Nqanqarhu Eastern Cape 2021 Berlin Ntabozuko Eastern Cape 2021 King William’s Town Qonce Eastern Cape 2021 Mount Fletcher Tlokoeng Eastern Cape 2021 Brandfort Winnie Mandela Free State 2022 Pomeroy Solomon Linda KwaZulu-Natal 2022 Morgan’s Bay Gxarha Eastern Cape 2022 Cradock Enxuba Eastern Cape 2023 Fort Beaufort KwaMaqoma Eastern Cape 2023 Somerset East KwaNojoli Eastern Cape Some of the most notable changes included:
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Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha;
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Morgan’s Bay to Gxarha;
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Cradock to Nxuba;
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Uitenhage to Kariega;
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King Williamstown to Qonce;
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Queenstown to Komani; and
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Grahamstown to Makhanda.
Aside from the naming of new geographic features in KwaZulu-Natal, most of the changed names for towns and cities have been in the Eastern Cape—much like all the name changes proposed for towns in the past and in 2023.
The name changes gazetted in 2023 are given in the table below.
Old name New name Feature (province) Fort Beaufort KwaMaqoma Town (Eastern Cape) Somerset East KwaNojoli Town (Eastern Cape) Graaff-Reinet Robert Sobukwe or Fred Hufkie Town (Eastern Cape) Adendorp Kwa Mseki Bishop Limba Town (Eastern Cape) Aberdeen Camdeboo Town (Eastern Cape) Nieu-Bethesda Kwa Noheleni Town (Eastern Cape) In a recent parliamentary Q&A, the minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture noted that the total number of applications received and gazetted from the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC) since the start of the geographical names process in the Republic of South Africa is 312, which includes the various towns.
Only one application was not approved.
The minister explained that applications not approved were the city name changes from East London to KuGompo (applied for in 2020) and, initially, the changing of the name Grahamstown to Makhanda.
However, after consultations, Grahamstown’s name change was returned to the minister, approved, and then gazetted on 29 June 2018.
More on the way
More recently, the ECPGNC has been holding public hearings in the province to change the names of the towns, including Graaff-Reinet and Aberdeen.
The committee wants to make the following changes:
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Graaff-Reient to Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe
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Adendorp to Kwa Mseki Bishop Limba;
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Aberdeen to Camdeboo; and
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Nieu-Bethesda to Kwa Noheleni.
Additionally, according to the SAGNC, 58 Geographic Name Applications are still being processed, meaning plenty more name changes are coming to South Africa, some of them more than likely to be Towns.
However, the proposed changes have been met with pushback from the affected communities, and political parties in the province have questioned the process used to advance them.
Additionally, at the end of last month, a host of name changes were pushed through as part of the department’s last round of name changes in South Africa before the end of the 2023 financial year.
Among the gazetted changes are Ladysmith in KZN to uMnambithi and Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape to Nqweba.
source:85 towns hit with name changes in South Africa – and more are on the way – BusinessTech
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