The move to rename some of the streets in the Joburg CBD, Alexandra and Soweto was recently approved by the City of Joburg.
According to the city council’s spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane, several Joburg struggle heroes and heroines who contributed to achieving South Africa’s freedom would be honoured by renaming some of Joburg’s streets after them.
Bree, Jeppe, Noord and President streets in the city centre would be renamed.
Bree Street would be renamed after Lillian Ngoyi – the first woman to be elected to the national executive committee of the ANC.
Jeppe Street would become Rahima Moosa Street after the renowned unionist, who was active in the Transvaal Indian Congress before joining the ANC and also played a significant role in the organisation of the Congress of the People in Kliptown, Soweto, where the Freedom Charter was adopted.
President Street was set to be renamed Helen Joseph Street after the unionist who was involved in the formation of the Federation of South African Women and was one of the accused in the Rivonia Treason Trial.
Noord Street was being changed to Sophie de Bruyn Street in honour of the last surviving member of the 1956 women’s march leadership, and who was also a founder member of the South African Congress of Trade Unions.
Ngoyi, Joseph, De Bruyn and Moosa led 20 000 women to Pretoria to confront then Prime Minister JG Strydom on 9 August 1956, which is now celebrated as Women’s Day.
The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation has welcomed the streets renaming.“[We are] very happy with the choice of the names of women,” it said in a statement. “Together with Albertina Sisulu Street, the heart of Joburg will become much more gender sensitive.”
The city council had also placed newspaper notices requesting communities and interested parties to comment on the city council’s intention to change the name of Sauer Street to Pixley ka Seme Street, however, no comments were received.
Further name changes were expected for roads in Alexandra, Orlando West and Dobsonville.
As a way of recognising the role played Soweto students’ by many of the youth that sacrificed their lives during the Soweto uprising in 1976, it has been proposed that Lion Crescent in East Bank, Alexandra, be renamed Japie Vilankulu Crescent, said Modingoane.
Thabete Street in Orlando West would be renamed Hastings Ndlovu.
