The City of Johannesburg has brought the renaming of William Nicol Drive to Winnie Madikizela Mandela Drive, to the forefront once again. Yesterday afternoon the City tweeted the information which the public would need to know in order to participate.
This comes a month after Port Elizabeth was changed to Gqeberha, among other name changes in the Eastern Cape. Controversy arose when the cost of the project was questioned, given the current economic climate, and when the department of sports, arts and culture was accused of rejecting 139 objections, including two petitions with 180 signatures. The department said in a statement that “This transformation agenda seeks to redress the imbalances of the past, therefore no quantifiable price tag could be put on it”.
DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Darren Bergman, made the following statement on the matter
The proposed renaming of William Nicol Drive is again in the spotlight.
Affected ward councillors will strive to ensure adherence to policies and procedures as set out in the CITY OF JOHANNESBURG METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY
POLICY ON THE NAMING OF STREETS AND PUBLIC PLACES (4TH REVISION MAY 2017).
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀:
i). All affected Ward Councillors must always be engaged through the Ward Committee structures, via the Office of the Speaker Ward Governance in consultation with the regional Directors’ Office.
ii). In the case of local roads and local facilities the following must be undertaken:
1. Consultation with the Ward Councillor/s;
2. The placement of public notices on site and at prominent strategic
positions such as schools, clinics and libraries, etc;
3. The application should also lie open for inspection for 28 days from
the 1st date of placement of the public notices at an office of the responsible body or an office easily accessible to the public, such as the Regional Customer Service Centres.
4. At least one public meeting, the extent of which should be in keeping with the size, functional range, cultural significance and/or visual prominence of the feature being named or renamed.
iii). In the case of higher order features, such as main roads, regional facilities or major projects in the City etc, the following must be undertaken:
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗿/𝘀;
The placement of public notices on site and at prominent strategic positions such as schools, clinics, libraries, multi-purpose centres, etc; The placement of municipal notices in local newspapers;
The application should also lie open for inspection for 28 days from the 1st date of publication of the newspaper advertisements at an office of the responsible body or an office easily accessible to the public, such as the Regional Customer Service Centres. The Office of the Regional Director will be responsible for receiving public comments.
At least one public meeting, the extent of which should be in keeping with the size, functional range, cultural significance and/or visual prominence of the feature being named or renamed.
iv). In terms of the notices and advertisements, the responsible body must request the public to submit comments on the proposed name or renaming and/or make any other submissions within 28 days. Possible alternative names may also be requested from the public.
v). Once a naming is approved by Council, the responsible body must place public notices on site and/or in the local newspapers notifying the public of the final decision. Community Development must also notify the affected Ward Councillor/s through the Office of the Speaker, Ward Governance, in consultation with the Office of the Regional Director, of the final decision. Community Development must also notify the affected Ward Councillor/s through the Office of the Speaker, Ward Governance, in consultation with the Office of the Regional Director, of the final decision.
Please see the full document here.
