Giyani community packs to oppose bridge name

The current name of the bridge is that of the former Minister of Gazankulu (Giyani) Adolph Mhinga, who is from Mhinga village in the Malamulele area. His family wanted to properly name the bridge by including his full name and title, not realising that it would cause an uproar. The community of Siyandhani argued that if the bridge was to be renamed, it should be called the Siyandhani Bridge because it falls under the Siyandhani Traditional Authority.

The bridge connects Giyani town via the R81 road and is vital for the flow of traffic as it is the only access to the town. However, a day before Hosi Mhinga’s application was set to be debated at a public participation meeting, he withdrew the application after an outpour of dissatisfaction on social media as many people questioned how the bridge was named after him while he was from the Vhembe district.

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This led to the community on Tuesday attending the public participation meeting in large numbers. When it was announced by Emanuel Mongwe from the Limpopo Geographic Names Change Committee that the application had been withdrawn, the community reacted with excitement. “The application submitted by Hosi Shilungwa Cedric Mhinga to have the name of Adolph Mhinga Bridge changed to Hosi Adolph Sundhuza Mhinga Bridge has been withdrawn yesterday, so we won’t have to debate it anymore,” he said to the applause of a jubilant crowd who had anticipated a war of words over the proposed name.

The spokesperson for the Siyandhani Traditional Council, Madala Risenga, said the outcome was good news to them. “We’re very happy as it allows us to apply for the name change in good time,” he said, adding that the traditional council needs a name that would best represent the community in the area.