East London and Graaff-Reinet are officially no more
The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture has gazetted official name changes for geographic features and towns in South Africa, marking the end of the road for East London and Graaff-Reinet.
The changes were included in 21 changes signed off by the department on Friday (6 February) and confirm earlier reports of their imminent arrival.
East London will now officially be known as KuGompo City, after the Eastern Cape government signalled in 2024 that it would push for the change.
Meetings and consultations for the change were held in Qonce, Mdantsane and several coastal areas during March and April 2025, as required by law before applications are submitted to national authorities.
The name change to KuGompo was previously rejected because there was already a small town with that name in the province. This has apparently been resolved by adding “City” to the name.
The historic town of Graaff-Reinet, the fourth-oldest city in the country, will now be known as Robert Sobukwe.
Previous attempts to change the name were met with significant community opposition, to the point that the national Names Council did not recommend the change in 2024.
However, at the time, the provincial council made it clear that the matter was not finalised and that the changes were rejected by the department due to a “lack of information”, which could be collated for future applications.
Graaff-Reinet is the fourth-oldest town in South Africa, established in 1786 and named after the then Cape Governor Cornelis Jacob van de Graaff and his wife, Reinet.
The new namesake, Robert Sobukwe, was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).
Other town changes include Bishop Limba, formerly Adendorp, and Xamdeboo, formerly Aberdeen.
The tables below outline all the announced changes and new names being registered.
KwaZulu-Natal
| New Name | Feature |
|---|---|
| eNkulu YaKwaCele | Village |
| iNcumuse | River |
| KwaShoba | Village |
| iNtebeni | River |
| uMdlanzi Ophansi | Village |
| uMdlanzi Ophezulu | Village |
| iNtabankulu YaKwaCele | Mountain |
| uJikantaba | Mountain |
| uGade | Mountain |
| iQhinqa | River |
| iDela | River |
| eNikela | Village |
Eastern Cape
| Old Name | New Name | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| East London | KuGompo City | City |
| Graaff-Reinet | Robert Sobukwe | Town |
| Adendorp | Bishop Limba | Village |
| Aberdeen | Xamdeboo | Town |
| Barkly East | Ekhephini | Town |
| Barkly Pass | Mbombo Pass (R58) | Pass |
| Kraai River Pass | Tyumbu Pass (R58) | Pass |
| – | Lulama Hlanjwa | Settlement |
| – | Nkululeko | Settlement |
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