Petitions for and against renaming of Sandton Drive submitted to city

Uncertainty surrounds the future of Sandton Drive as petitions for and against its renaming have been submitted to the city. The proposal to rename the prominent road after Palestinian activist Leila Khaled has sparked widespread debate, with strong opinions on both sides.

This follows the city’s invitation on September 18 for comments from the community over the proposal to rename the road.

Read more here: Sandton Drive may be named after another country’s hero

Today (October 15), the community, political parties and civil organisations handed over their comments and petitions to the Arts, Culture, and Heritage directorate in Newtown.

Local ward councillors such as Martin Williams, Lynda Shackleford and Vino Reddy have already handed in the petitions they received. Of these 5 359 were hard copy petition forms, and another batch of forms with 262 signatures. This excluded email objections.

Last year, William Nicol Drive was renamed Winnie Mandela Drive. Read more: William Nicol Drive transitioning into Winnie Mandela Drive

The city council has stated that no decision has been made regarding the proposed renaming of Sandton Drive. They will consider all public comments before making a final decision. According to City of Johannesburg (CoJ) spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane, residents had until October 15, 28 days after the latest advertisement was published on September 22,

“All comments received will be recorded and collated. The public comments will be reported to the council for a final decision to be taken on the proposed renaming. Acknowledgements will be sent out for all comments received,” said Modingoane.

The Sandton Chronicle has asked:

What is the next step?

• If approved, how long does the process take?
• How much will the project cost?
• Do the petitions make a difference?

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