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The name is Makhado

 

The name of Louis Trichardt is now Makhado. This after the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Paul Mashatile, rejected the objection of the Chairpersons Association (CA) against the second name change of the town.

The CA was informed of this last week, but warned local institutions and businesses not to incur costs to implement the change immediately, in the light of probable litigation.

The Minister gazetted the second name change to Makhado on 14 October last year. A period of 30 days followed, during which objections had to be lodged. The CA lodged an objection letter with supporting documentation of 277 pages and close to 250 pages of signatures petitioning against the name change. During the time that the Minister considered the objection, the name of the town was considered to be legally Louis Trichardt. On 10 May, however, Mashatile signed the rejection of the objection, thereby endorsing the name Makhado.

The minister based his rejection on three reasons. He stated that all consultative processes were followed and all points of view that emerged during consultation and Council meetings were reflected.

“...documentation submitted with this request suggest that requirements of this legislation were fulfilled by the relevant structures before the name was recommended for my approval,” Mashatile states as a second reason.  The legislation he refers to is the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act of 2000. He said thirdly that “all geographical names in the country are subject to standardisation and the justification for that is not only limited to historical information you (the CA) provided.”

In its letter and supportive documentation, the CA touches not only on historical information, but also on poor and flawed consultation processes and destruction of cultural goods.

“When the name was changed to Makhado the first time round, the reason given was ‘transformation’. Now it is ‘standardisation’ which does not apply to this case at all. According to the regulations a name should not wound people’s feelings, should not give offence and should not be a duplication,” CA chairperson Mr André Naudé said on Tuesday.  Standardisation would be applicable in the case where Messina became Musina.

The executive committee of the CA will now meet and then call for a general meeting within two weeks to request a mandate to take the Minister’s decision on review to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

“At this stage, I can say that it is highly probable that we will take the decision on review. Our case is stronger than the previous one. I have trust in the independency of the judicial bench,” Naudé said. He added that the whole fight is not just about the name.

“The way the name was changed is a symptom of an underlying principle that is violated. We are fighting principles here, the principle that the public has to be listened to and cannot be ignored in favour of political gain. The same principle applies to service delivery: the public has to be served, not the politicians.”

Naudé added that the CA, representing 90 000 people, stands for a synergy between cultural groups. “We cannot allow the harmony and cooperation existing between the various cultural groups to be destroyed by politicians,” he said.

News - Date: 21 May 2012

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Linda van der Westhuizen

Linda van der Westhuizen has been with Zoutnet since 2001. She has a heart for God, people and their stories. Linda believes that every person is unique and has a special story to tell. It follows logically that human interest stories is her speciality. Linda finds working with people and their leaders in the economic, educational, spiritual and political arena very rewarding. “I have a special interest in what God is doing in our town, province and nation and what He wants us to become,” says Linda.

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