New names for towns and villages in South Africa
The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture has gazetted new names for towns, villages and other geographical features in South Africa, in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The department has listed 12 new names, with two in the City of Tshwane in Gauteng and the rest in the Ray Nkonyeni local municipality in KZN.
The two Gauteng features are townships in Tshwane, namely Dinokeng View and Menoatlou.
Dinokeng is a larger wildlife reserve in Gauteng, while Menoatlou was recommended in 2021 as the name of a township in the province, meaning “elephant tusk” in Sesotho.
Among the new names in KZN are two villages, uDlovunga and KwaShobashobane, with the remaining names set for rivers and mountains in the province.
The full list of new names is as follows:
| Name | Province | Municipality | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinokeng View | Gauteng | City of Tshwane | Township |
| Menoatlou | Gauteng | City of Tshwane | Township |
| KwaShobashobane | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | Village |
| uDlovunga | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | Village |
| uSihlambweni | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | Mountain |
| uLonjane | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | River |
| iKhangeza | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | River |
| uGodlogodlo | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | River |
| uButhongo | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | River |
| uSihlambo | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | River |
| eMaxhantini | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | River |
| uBenyu | KZN | Ray Nkonyeni LM | River |
Anyone dissatisfied with the new names will have one month from the publication of the gazette to object to the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture.
These can be submitted in writing via email to [email protected].
The registration of new towns and features in the country follows a raft of registrations that took place in June, where 15 rivers and mountains were named.
Notably, the latest gazette outlines new names to be registered in the country for various features, rather than name changes from previous ones.
However, several name changes are currently being processed, including proposals to rename some of the country’s oldest and most historic towns.
In August, the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC) put forward proposals to change the names of historic towns, including:
- Changing Lady Grey to Inkosi Makhobeni,
- Changing Herschel to Inkosi Lihlongo
- Changing Sterkspruit to Inkosi Mpangazi.
The department revealed in August that a process to change the name of Port Alfred to iCawa or iCoyi has also been initiated, although it had not yet reached the SA Geographical Names Committee at the time.
It said that court challenges to that particular renaming had already started to line up, adding to its woes with other prominent name changes over the past year or so.
Most notably, the renaming of Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town is currently being challenged in court.
Earlier in October, false media reports circulated that the matter had been resolved in favour of reverting to the town’s original name, Graaff-Reinet, but the department later denied this.
DSAC Minister Gayton McKenzie said that the matter was still before the court and there was no update.
The new names for features in South Africa can be read below.
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