LOUIS TRICHARDT – The name of the town Louis Trichardt is almost sure to change, but whether it will be in the immediate future, is not certain.

Council's plans to have the name changed to Makhado received a series of setbacks the past few weeks amidst various allegations that no procedures were followed and that a new name was chosen long before any of the communities involved were asked for inputs.

The chairman of the local committee tasked to handle the name changing issue, Cllr ME Musetha; last week did not want to say much about the issue. He confirmed that the application to have the name changed was referred back to Council. This apparently came about because of the fact that another town with the name Makhado exists. One of the tasks of the South African Geographical Names Council is to look at whether a new name will lead to confusion.

In a letter addressed to the SA Geographical Names Council, the Soutpansberg Chamber of Commerce objected to the proposed name change and also pointed out that it will lead to confusion. The Chamber of Commerce also objected to the fact that the various communities were not contacted and asked for inputs regarding the name change. The Chamber argued that it would be a far better option to retain the name "Louis Trichardt".

According to Cllr Musetha, the problem regarding the duplicate names had already been discussed with the Mphephu Royal Council, under whose jurisdiction the Makhado Town in Nzhelele falls. The Royal Council apparently would like Louis Trichardt town to be renamed after the late Chief Makhado. According to Cllr Musetha they foresee no problem with renaming the current Makhado town to avoid confusion.

Cllr Musetha said the matter must now again serve before the Executive Committee, which would in turn be able to refer it back to the names committee. He emphasised that Louis Trichardt must be renamed, as it is the wish of the Premier and the MEC.

Various organisations and individuals have criticized the Makhado Municipality for the manner in which the proposed name change is being handled.

According to official information almost all actions by Council in this regard are in transgression of official procedures, outside the parameters prescribed by the relevant legislation and therefore not at all legally binding or lawful.

"By removing cultural objects which are of value to the majority of inhabitants of the town, as well as name boards and symbols of the town, the Council is wilfully acting in bad faith and in contravention of specific principles in the declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution," one observer said.

It has also been established that the premier of the province acted outside the ambit of his powers when he instructed the MEC to change the name. The MEC in his turn infringed on the rights of the local community and acted in contempt of Parliament if he created the impression that he has the power to unilaterally change geographic place names.

The local municipal council grossly misled the inhabitants of the town through a circular issued immediately after its unlawful decision to unilaterally change the name of the town. In the circular businesses were informed that the name of the town had in fact already changed.

Independent cultural organisations have expressed their consternation and have questioned the motivation of politicians in championing the names of warlords and even murderers for towns in a region that is internationally marketed as "The Province of Peace."

The authoritarian style and power politics displayed by these politicians will also have far-reaching negative consequences regarding the present drive for moral reconstruction, informed observers say.