Seven town name changes, along with two airport name changes were made in the Eastern Cape this past week by Department of Arts and Culture minister Nathi Mthetwa – but Cape Town’s name is unlikely to change to //Hui !Gaeb.
Name changes are nothing new in South Africa. They have been implemented to "better reflect the heritage landscape as a whole", since the birth of SA's democracy in 1994. And the seven name changes announced by Arts and Culture minister Nathi Mthetwa for the Eastern Cape including the city of Port Elizabeth, which will now be known as Gqeberha, is said to be no different.
Mthetwa says, “There was a need for the name changes as this is part of a government programme to transform South Africa’s heritage landscape. The names of places we live in reflect the identity and cultural heritage of the people of South Africa.”
The South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) provides for the transformation of South Africa’s naming landscape, with the minister noting that the name changes originated from the province where they took place.
“As such, more name changes will be submitted to the SAGNC and the minister in the future, provided that public consultations are conducted by the Provincial Geographical Names Committee before such name changes are submitted to the minister for his consideration,” he said.
The name changes are as follows – these name changes are not officially in infect as yet, with Property searches in these areas unaffected across Property24, as both the official and proposed names are searchable as an alias across SA’s largest property search portal.
| Old name | New name | Area | Meaning / cultural significance |
| Port Elizabeth | Gqeberha | Nelson Mandela Bay | The isiXhosa name for Walmer Township, which is one of the first and oldest Port Elizabeth townships. |
| Port Elizabeth International Airport | Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport | Nelson Mandela Bay | Named after an 18th century political activist for Khoi and San people dispossessed of their land under Dutch and British colonial rule. Stuurman was also one of the first prisoners on Robben Island. |
| Uitenhage | Kariega | Nelson Mandela Bay | The entire region from Willowmore, Somerset East to Uitenhage was formerly called Kariega. The Kariega River is located in the Eastern Cape province. |
| East London Airport | King Phalo Airport | Buffalo City | Phalo ka Tshiwo was a Xhosa chief from 1736 until his death in 1775. |
| Berlin | Ntabozuko | Buffalo City | Xhosa origin |
| MaClear Town | Nqanqarhu | Joe Gqabi District | Xhosa origin |
| King William’s Town | Qonce | Buffalo City | Qonce, means buffalo and is the isiXhosa name of the Buffalo River, which runs through the town. |
| Katkop | Ngqay | Joe Gqabi District | Xhosa origin |
| Mfabantu | Khohlombeni | Joe Gqabi District | Southern Sotho origin |
The pronunciation of the name changes has caused quite a stir across social media, while others have questioned the costs involved to effect the name changes in these Eastern Cape towns.
Mthetwa said that prior to the changes, the Provincial Geographical Names Committee conducted public consultations on all the names that were changed.
The department also confirmed plans to rename Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) has however been abandoned, three years after the process was initiated. No consensus was reached after the public consultation process. “During the public meeting, a number of groups attending the meeting proposed different names like Krotoa and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela airport".
'More name changes will be submitted'
“As such, more name changes will be submitted to the SAGNC and the minister in the future, provided that public consultations are conducted by the Provincial Geographical Names Committee before such name changes are submitted to the minister for his consideration,” says Mthetwa.
A campaign launched in 2012 by the Khoi community to have Cape Town’s name officially changed to //Hui !Gaeb was first brought forward in May of 2012 when the community gathered for the burial of their leader Dawid Kruiper. The Institute for the Restoration of Aborigines of South Africa has been pushing the proposed name change with little success.
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