LOUIS TRICHARDT – It seems as if the provincial government has jumped the gun on celebrating the province's new name, as the name Limpopo Province is in conflict with the South African Constitution.

According to Section 103 (Chapter 6) of the South African Constitution, the Northern Province is listed as one of the nine provinces in the country and will keep its name until the Constitution is amended. The Constitution can only be amended by parliament after obtaining a two-thirds majority vote and subsequently a provincial government does not have the power to change the Constitution.

A spokesperson for the Premier's Office in Polokwane, Mr Jack Mokobi, on Wednesday initially stated that the name of the province is Limpopo, but soon afterwards agreed that technically the province's name is still the Northern Province. He then explained that the name Limpopo Province is already being used as the process of changing the name is seen as a mere formality.

According to the Constitution, the legislature of a province, by a resolution adopted with a supporting vote of at least two thirds of its members, may request Parliament to change the name of that province. Mr Mokobi said that this process had been followed by putting the matter to a vote in the Provincial Legislature on February 12 this year. During this meeting, Mr Mokobi said, all parties agreed upon changing the province's name. The Bill has since then been referred to the National Council of Provinces and if it is approved, the matter will be referred to Parliament. As of yet, this has not happened but according to Mr Mokobi the process of changing the province's name will be finalized within the next couple of months.

Although most people do not have a problem with changing the name of the province, several were quite surprised by the back-to-front way the provincial government is handling the issue. Millions of rands have already been spent on the name change, as well as on the launching ceremony in June and advertising campaigns. This, before the name has actually changed. The process also caused some confusion, as persons are not sure what name to use when registering title deeds. In one instance a local businessman tried to register a title deed in Limpopo Province, but was then informed that it is still the Northern Province.

The issue of changing the province's name, once again brought the controversial changing of Louis Trichardt's name to Makhado to the fore. Although the process is far from finalized, there is a general perception by both local and provincial government that the town's name is Makhado. This perception, however, is even more wide-spread than most people realize. In the Limpopo Parks and Tourism Board's tourist guide for 2002/3 the town is referred to as Makhado with Louis Trichardt appearing in brackets next to it. The name "Louis Trichardt" also does not appear on any of the guide's road and area maps. Reference is only made to Makhado; this despite the fact that the town's name has not changed.