BCM’s residents have been invited to have their say on geographical name changes at several venues within the metro throughout the month.
A notice in the Daily Dispatch this week, signed by city manager Andile Sihlahla, appealed to the public to attend the meetings.
However, ward 28 (Beacon Bay) DA councillor Marion Mackly said the meetings were just a “tick box” exercise, as they did not accommodate every community.
“Have you seen their schedule? How can you get public participation if you don’t allow for everyone to have a say? If every ward would be getting a hearing within reasonable hours, that would be understandable, but that is not the case here.
“Beacon Bay residents are angry and will be fighting the name change of Beacon Bay as the name proposed speaks nothing to the history of the suburb or its residents. Businesses are going to suffer and tourism is going to take a knock,” she said.
The Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee invited the public to nine different locations over the next month, to select names to replace the current English names used for some towns and villages.
Thirty-five names had initially been identified by residents from public meetings held previously, and these were tabled before council.
The selection of the official names will be discussed at consultative meetings which will start in Bhisho on Monday at Skenjana Hall at 10am, before proceeding to the War Memorial Hall in King William’s Town at midday and Dimbaza in the Moses Twebe Hall at 2pm.
On Tuesday a meeting will be held in Zwelitsha at 10am in the OR Tambo Hall, and in Berlin at 1pm in the Community Hall; next Friday at Kidd’s Beach at 10am at the Kidd’s Beach Hall and in East London at 4pm in the City Hall.
The other meetings will be held on February 19 at Nxarhuni at 10am in the Community Hall and on February 21 in Duncan Village at 12 noon in the Gompo Hall.
A report tabled at a council meeting last year by city manager Andile Sihlahla indicated that the name change proposals, submitted by the previous committee to the South African National Geographical Name Change committee, were returned because of lack of consultation with the public. Among the name change proposals are Southernwood to Tebekana, Amalinda to Malinde, Quigney to Mhlonyane, Gonubie to Qunube, King William’s Town to Qonce, Duncan Village to Ziphunzana, Chalumna to Tyolomnqa, Gulu to Krulu, Beacon Bay to KuNodyilo and Macleantown to Mpongo.
Concerns have been raised by members of the opposition parties about some of the names being used repeatedly, such as Buffalo River and King William’s Town both getting proposals for “Qonce” and Beacon Bay being called “KuNodyilo”, among other grievances.
Provincial chairwoman of the geographical names committee Phumla Nazo-Makatala said the meetings would be held with different communities.
“These names were submitted by the communities.
“It is going to be a process of going back to the communities, not that as the city we are saying these names must be changed,” she said. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
Hue, cry over proposed BCM name changes
A notice in the Daily Dispatch this week, signed by city manager Andile Sihlahla, appealed to the public to attend the meetings.
However, ward 28 (Beacon Bay) DA councillor Marion Mackly said the meetings were just a “tick box” exercise, as they did not accommodate every community.
“Have you seen their schedule? How can you get public participation if you don’t allow for everyone to have a say? If every ward would be getting a hearing within reasonable hours, that would be understandable, but that is not the case here.
“Beacon Bay residents are angry and will be fighting the name change of Beacon Bay as the name proposed speaks nothing to the history of the suburb or its residents. Businesses are going to suffer and tourism is going to take a knock,” she said.
The Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee invited the public to nine different locations over the next month, to select names to replace the current English names used for some towns and villages.
Thirty-five names had initially been identified by residents from public meetings held previously, and these were tabled before council.
The selection of the official names will be discussed at consultative meetings which will start in Bhisho on Monday at Skenjana Hall at 10am, before proceeding to the War Memorial Hall in King William’s Town at midday and Dimbaza in the Moses Twebe Hall at 2pm.
On Tuesday a meeting will be held in Zwelitsha at 10am in the OR Tambo Hall, and in Berlin at 1pm in the Community Hall; next Friday at Kidd’s Beach at 10am at the Kidd’s Beach Hall and in East London at 4pm in the City Hall.
The other meetings will be held on February 19 at Nxarhuni at 10am in the Community Hall and on February 21 in Duncan Village at 12 noon in the Gompo Hall.
A report tabled at a council meeting last year by city manager Andile Sihlahla indicated that the name change proposals, submitted by the previous committee to the South African National Geographical Name Change committee, were returned because of lack of consultation with the public. Among the name change proposals are Southernwood to Tebekana, Amalinda to Malinde, Quigney to Mhlonyane, Gonubie to Qunube, King William’s Town to Qonce, Duncan Village to Ziphunzana, Chalumna to Tyolomnqa, Gulu to Krulu, Beacon Bay to KuNodyilo and Macleantown to Mpongo.
Concerns have been raised by members of the opposition parties about some of the names being used repeatedly, such as Buffalo River and King William’s Town both getting proposals for “Qonce” and Beacon Bay being called “KuNodyilo”, among other grievances.
Provincial chairwoman of the geographical names committee Phumla Nazo-Makatala said the meetings would be held with different communities.
“These names were submitted by the communities.
“It is going to be a process of going back to the communities, not that as the city we are saying these names must be changed,” she said. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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