The renaming of Sandton Drive has been a contentious issue that has received both support and condemnation from various groups.
In November last year, it was proposed that Sandton Drive be renamed to Leila Khaled Drive. Khaled is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
At the time of the motion, the African National Congress and the Economic Freedom Fighters supported the motion to rename the road while the Democratic Alliance voted against the motion, stating that the renaming policy outlined by the City had not been followed.
On 31 May, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions South Africa held a protest outside of the city council chamber to demand the immediate implementation of the motion. When the motion was filed, DA councillor Sergio dos Santos said, “How do we justify spending our limited resources by changing street names which are not offensive, as opposed to seeing to the dignity of our residents?”
The ANC’s Johannesburg caucus joined the protest and said they did so to reiterate their support for Palestinians. A statement released by the caucus said, “We believe that the City’s apathy towards the implementation of this resolution is indicative of the fact that the current administration is opposed to the idea of a free Palestine.”
Wendy Khan, the national director for the South African Board of Jewish Deputies (SAJBD) said, “The SAJBD believes that, given Khaled’s history, renaming Sandton Drive in her honour is extremely divisive, inflammatory and polarising…The recent discussions around the renaming of the street is nothing more than a publicity stunt, as such motion would be inconsistent with the City of Johannesburg’s own policy on naming streets. The SAJBD will monitor the situation and will protest any action to rename Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled.”
Khan added that she believed the renaming of the road was offensive to ordinary South Africans who could offer names of other South Africans deserving of the honour.
According to the City’s Policy on the Naming of Streets and Public Places, there are numerous aspects that need to be taken into consideration before the renaming process can go ahead. The naming of features after exceptional people is recognised as a way of honouring people and their contribution to the development of the city and country, however, it should only be used in rare cases.
A petition to rename a road after a person must be accompanied by a detailed motivation and profile, indicating why the specific person is worthy of the honour and there must be every effort to gain consent from family members of the person who is being commemorated. When the name of a person is used, the prominence of the street or feature should be in proportion to the stature of the person
Before a road can be renamed, there needs to be a consultation process with the public and must be demonstrated before the final decision can be made. The policy also states that naming after living people should be avoided because community attitudes and opinions can change over time.
When considering the renaming of a street, the City should consider all associated costs, not only those carried by the City but also those incurred by businesses and other stakeholders.
The following criteria should be used to compile motivations in support of renaming proposals:
- Where the existing name is considered offensive or hurtful
- Where the name change is desirable to promote the goodwill of people now living in the new South Africa
- Where there is a strong degree of community support
- Where the name change is to increase the marketing potential and investment attractiveness of the area
- A continuous street should not be split into multiple sections by re-naming a segment or a portion of the street
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