Fewer than 300 people consulted to change the name of one of South Africa’s biggest cities
Minister of Sports, Art and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has revealed that 290 people participated in public consultations six years ago to change East London’s name to KuGompo City.
Responding to a parliamentary Q&A from Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder about recent name changes, McKenzie noted that all processes were followed in making the changes.
On 6 February 2026, the department gazetted official name changes for East London, Graaff-Reinet, Aberdeen and Adendorp in the Eastern Cape.
While there has been pushback against the changes, it’s the renaming of East London and Graaff-Reinet that has sparked the most controversy.
East London, now called KuGompo City, is one of South Africa’s eight major cities, while Graaff-Reinet, now Robert Sobukwe, is one of the oldest towns in the country.
The ANC-led government had been trying to push through the name change for East London since 2019, but the proposed name, KuGompo, was rejected because there was already a geographical feature with that name.
Efforts were revived in 2024, with the name change finally pushed through in 2026, resolving the conflict by adding “City” to the name.
There were also previous attempts to change the name of Graaff-Reinet, which 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.
This name change was eventually pushed through in 2026 as well.
The Freedom Front Plus, in particular, has led the charge against the name change for the historic town, saying it was an example of cultural imperialism in which Afrikaner cultural history was annihilated.
Mulder urged everyone who values the name Graaff-Reinet to remain loyal to it and not change it to Robert Sobukwe Town.
Civil rights group AfriForum has sent a lawyer’s letter to McKenzie to object to the name change of the town.
Consultations
One of the biggest criticisms levelled against name changes in South Africa is that they serve narrow interests and do not fully reflect the desires of residents affected by them.
Arguments against the changes usually point to a lack of consultation, particularly regarding who was consulted, how notice was given, and how many people participated.
According to McKenzie, around 530 people participated in four separate public consultations between November 2023 and February 2024 as part of the process to change the names of Graaff-Reinet, Aberdeen and Adendorp.
For East London, the minister revealed that three public consultations were held in November 2019, attracting 290 participants.
Previous statements by the department indicated that further meetings and consultations for the change were held in Qonce, Mdantsane and several coastal areas during March and April 2025; however, McKenzie did not include this in his response.
East London to KuGompo City (290 participants)
- 19 November 2019 – King William’s Town Hall – 60 participants
- 20 November 2019 – Berlin Town Hall – 70 participants
- 26 November 2019 – East London City Hall – 160 participants
Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe, Adendorp to Bishop Limba and Aberdeen to Xamdeboo (531 participants)
- 22 November 2023 – Alex Laing Hall, Brookvale – 54 participants
- 18 February 2024 – Aberdeen Library – 90 participants
- 26 February 2024 – Botanics Sports Ground – 303 participants
- 28 February 2024 – Thembalethu Town Hall – 84 participants
McKenzie said the public participation process was undertaken in accordance with the South African Geographical Names Council Act, but stressed that it is “consultative in nature”.
He noted that the consultations are not conducted as a referendum.
“Public hearings are intended to gather representations and views from affected communities, rather than determine outcomes through voting thresholds,” he said.
“Consultation reports from the public hearings reflect a range of views expressed by participants, including both support for and objections to the proposed name changes, as well as alternative name suggestions.”
The minister added that attendance at the consultations was verified through attendance registers completed during each public consultation meeting.
These registers were submitted as part of the official documentation accompanying the name change applications and were considered by the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC).
He said that his department’s role, through the SAGNC, is advisory and relates only to consultation, recommendation, and gazetting processes.
The implementation of approved name changes, including replacement of signage and related adjustments, falls within the mandate and budget of the relevant implementing authorities, such as municipalities and provincial departments.
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