When the Makhado Municipality officially refers to "Makhado" it does not really mean "Makhado".

It may refer to Makhado which is now not Makhado anymore but to Makhado which has become Dzanani. Well, not necessarily the Dzanani which you might have in mind, but that Dzanani which became Dzanani when Makhado stopped being Makhado and Dzanani became, well, something else.

To clearly distinguish between that Makhado and this Makhado, that Makhado on the other (northern) side of the mountain is now being refered to as Makhado-A, most probably meaning that there is also a Makhado-B, which might be this Makhado or maybe the Makhado on the other side of the Limpopo Border in Zimbabwe, which, of course, might also be referred to as Makhado-C, or the other way round.

This delightful alphabetic confusion ( caused by a series of compulsary name changes), came to light  when residents of this Makhado (previously Louis Trichardt) were perturbed to read an advertisement by the Makhado Municipality in last week's newspaper announcing the proposed permanent closure of a park, described as "Erf 1982, in Makhado-A township Extension 1" for development purposes. Because no street names were mentioned, the big guess was: Which park is going to be developed into what?

This advertisement by the Makhado Municipality states that particulars of the application will lie for inspection during normal office hours at office number C001 on the first floor of the civic centre in Makhado (Louis Trichardt), which has at least two parks in Extension 1 but none numbered as Erf 1982. The closest any town map of this (southern) Makhado will bring you to such a number is Erf 1983, situated in Extension 2, adjoining a totally differently numbered erf already fully developed.

Office number C001 (the office of the director: development planning) at the local civic centre can only be accessed through a door announcing that entry is exclusively for staff members. If you as a member of the public do enter on invitation of the advertisement and reach office C001, you will find it thoroughly locked, with no chance whatsoever of inspecting whatever particulars of the application might be lying there. Why?  Because the office referred to in the advertisement is not at all in the civic centre in Krogh Street anymore. It is now accommodated in the Noor Centre in Songozwi Street, next to Choppies -  where Checkers used to be.

Here a friendly young town planner will clarify the secret of Erf 1982, on a neat map of Makhado-A Township Extension 1, being part of an existing park in Dzanani, previously Makhado (on the northern side of the mountain, but still south of the Limpopo).