Tweet
Trouble is stirring about the proposed Durban street name changes. Reading this article I can see why.
When I heard that name changes were coming, my first thought was if they might have included Robert McBride (the Magoos bomber) and just how much he might have contributed to the building of Durban in comparison to some of the old colonials whose names will no doubt be set down for removal in due course.
I need not have worried. The provocation goes well beyond honouring urban terrorists. Renaming Mangosuthu Buthelezi Highway and Princess Magogo Stadium after members of the ANC cadre? Methinks the ANC's version of conciliation is about to be sorely examined.
Opposition parties are set to march through Durban on Workers' Day on May 1 in protest against the eThekwini municipality's proposed name changes of streets and buildings.
Announcing the march in Durban on Tuesday, the Inkatha Freedom Party's (IFP) eThekwini caucus leader, Themba Nzuza, said the IFP would be marching "against the blatantly flawed" process.
The Democratic Alliance's (DA) eThekwini caucus leader John Steenhuisen called on DA supporters to join the march.
Nzuza said names submitted for the renaming of streets had been to the exclusion of all other parties. The IFP has been particularly incensed since it was announced several weeks ago that the Mangosuthu Buthelezi Highway would be renamed.
Nzuza also accused the African National Congress (ANC) of insulting the Zulu royal family with the call to rename the Princess Magogo Stadium after Dumisane Makhaye, an ANC provincial minister of housing who died two years ago.
"The renaming has nothing to do with removing apartheid icons," she said.
During the past weekend several newspapers carried advertisements with the proposed list of name changes.
One of the more controversial name changes -- resulting in numerous letters of objection to local newspapers -- has been renaming of Kingsway Road in Amanzimtoti to "Andrew Zondo Road". Zondo (19) was sentenced to death in September 1986 for planting a bomb in a rubbish bin at the Amanzimtoti centre in December 1985. Two women and three children were killed. Scores more were injured.
Steenhuisen questioned why Rockdale Drive in Westville had to be renamed after the KwaZulu-Natal premier's son, who died on the road in a car accident.
"Are we going to rename every road after somebody who died in a car accident? We will be mobilising people to object. The process and choice of many of the names is deliberately provocative," he said.
Speaking about the call to rename Kingsway Road after Zondo, he said: "It's almost akin to renaming a street in New York after Osama bin Laden. It's highly insensitive."
The African Christian Democratic Party's provincial leader Andrew Thring said the party had not decided whether to join the march, but he personally was in favour of the protest.
"I am not opposed to the renaming, but I am opposed to the process. And some of the names are deliberately insensitive."
Both Nzuza and Steenhuisen said that despite repeated requests to see the original list of who submitted the proposed name changes, they had not received copies.
"These submissions have not been made available to any committee on the council to date," said Steenhuisen.
full story on M&G here
Announcing the march in Durban on Tuesday, the Inkatha Freedom Party's (IFP) eThekwini caucus leader, Themba Nzuza, said the IFP would be marching "against the blatantly flawed" process.
The Democratic Alliance's (DA) eThekwini caucus leader John Steenhuisen called on DA supporters to join the march.
Nzuza said names submitted for the renaming of streets had been to the exclusion of all other parties. The IFP has been particularly incensed since it was announced several weeks ago that the Mangosuthu Buthelezi Highway would be renamed.
Nzuza also accused the African National Congress (ANC) of insulting the Zulu royal family with the call to rename the Princess Magogo Stadium after Dumisane Makhaye, an ANC provincial minister of housing who died two years ago.
"The renaming has nothing to do with removing apartheid icons," she said.
During the past weekend several newspapers carried advertisements with the proposed list of name changes.
One of the more controversial name changes -- resulting in numerous letters of objection to local newspapers -- has been renaming of Kingsway Road in Amanzimtoti to "Andrew Zondo Road". Zondo (19) was sentenced to death in September 1986 for planting a bomb in a rubbish bin at the Amanzimtoti centre in December 1985. Two women and three children were killed. Scores more were injured.
Steenhuisen questioned why Rockdale Drive in Westville had to be renamed after the KwaZulu-Natal premier's son, who died on the road in a car accident.
"Are we going to rename every road after somebody who died in a car accident? We will be mobilising people to object. The process and choice of many of the names is deliberately provocative," he said.
Speaking about the call to rename Kingsway Road after Zondo, he said: "It's almost akin to renaming a street in New York after Osama bin Laden. It's highly insensitive."
The African Christian Democratic Party's provincial leader Andrew Thring said the party had not decided whether to join the march, but he personally was in favour of the protest.
"I am not opposed to the renaming, but I am opposed to the process. And some of the names are deliberately insensitive."
Both Nzuza and Steenhuisen said that despite repeated requests to see the original list of who submitted the proposed name changes, they had not received copies.
"These submissions have not been made available to any committee on the council to date," said Steenhuisen.
full story on M&G here
I need not have worried. The provocation goes well beyond honouring urban terrorists. Renaming Mangosuthu Buthelezi Highway and Princess Magogo Stadium after members of the ANC cadre? Methinks the ANC's version of conciliation is about to be sorely examined.
)
Comment