Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie. Screengrab
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie says street names should not be changed with the intention to “hurt white people”.
There have been a number of debates on which street names to change and which ones to leave.
In Johannesburg, a debate is raging between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) on whether or not to change Sandton Drive to Leilla Khaled Drive.
Khaled is a former Palestinian militant and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). She is seen as a symbol of resistance and opposition against Western forces.
However, during a question-and-answer session in parliament on Tuesday, McKenzie said street names should not be changed out of malice or revenge against white people.
He was reacting to a complaint from a member of the DA about unlawful name changes in the Free State.
“You must be honest, you must not do it out of revenge, you must not want to hurt people,” he responded.
McKenzie said he had come across a matter where a street name was about to be changed without public consultation.
“They just wanted to hurt the white minority in that town. They never spoke to anybody and they never asked them how they feel.
“I sent it back,” he said.
McKenzie also said white people in South Africa had to understand that some names had to change because of the country’s “troubled” history.
“White people need to understand that some names will have to change. Black people need to understand it should be done in a way that is not revengeful.”
McKenzie said name changes for public spaces should be done in a spirit of social cohesion.
“It should be done in a spirit of how far we have come as a country.”
ALSO READ: Renaming Sandton Drive: A disregard for public input and policy
However, he said it would be unfair for black South Africans to live with street names such as “Hendrik Verwoerd”, who was the father of apartheid policies.
“Name changes are political. You cannot expect black people who lived through apartheid to live on a street called ‘Verwoerd’.”
The Citizen spoke to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture in parliament Joe McGluwa on Wednesday.
He said he believed that offensive street names should change.
“I come from a province where we have offensive street names like Kafferskraal, but also there are names with a history behind them.”
Even through the exercise of name changes is a costly one, McGluwa said it was worth the money spent in certain instances.
“There are costs involved, but when it comes to come to names like Kafferskraal, there is no way that I’m going to think about costs to change the name.”
ALSO READ: Sandton Drive renaming sparks 5 500 objections from DA and residents on last day of submissions
McGluwa called for a national dialogue to ensure that everyone in the country is part of the transformation process which includes changing of street and town names.
“We need a debate to see how we can take this discussion forward so that everyone can be happy.”
Meanwhile, Advocate Sipho Mantula, a researcher at Unisa’s Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, told The Citizen on Wednesday that the renaming of streets was part of the reparation of African history.
“What is important with the new street names is the role that some of these people played in the liberation of this country.”
Mantula said consultation is an important part of the process.
“This has been part of the nation building agenda since 1994, but you need to consult with the community when going through such an exercise.”
ALSO READ: Renaming Sandton Drive: Who bears the cost?
Mantula said the renaming of streets was important for social cohesion and correcting colonial history.
He said white people in South Africa had to understand that street name changes were necessary to correct historical manipulation.
“All those that came into the continent wishing to create their memory, but their memory was based on violence and the erosion of the history they found here.”
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel told The Citizen on Wednesday that he believed that names which are of historical value should be kept.
“We will not fight against name changes of streets and towns that have no historical value,” he said.
Kriel said the renaming of Sandton Drive to Leilla Khaled Drive was political and not based on transformation.
“They want to make a point in the Palestine issue,” he said.
ALSO READ: ‘Rename street for Leila Khaled’: Calls for Sandton Drive to have new name
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