LOUIS TRICHARDT – Total rejection of the provincial and local authority's arrogant disregard for the views of the residents of this town over the name change outrage, was registered this week on the highest possible level.

The Office of President Thabo Mbeki this week officially confirmed receipt of an urgent letter by the local Chamber of Commerce. In the letter the State President was officially informed about the totally unacceptable handling of the purported name change of the town of Louis Trichardt. The unavoidable negative practical consequences of the purported change and the serious rift that it was bound to cause, was spelt out to the President.

This action followed an astounding summersault by the local mayor's office in which the Chamber was first assured by the mayor that the whole issue will be kept on hold, to allow for reasonable consultation with all stake holders. A couple of hours later, on the same day, the very same office reneged on this undertaking, and stated in a press release that there never was an intention to keep the issue on hold, that the process continues and that the name change is already a completed fact.

Enquiries at the South African Geographical Names Council in Pretoria, however, confirmed that it is not within the jurisdiction of local or provincial authorities to finalise name changes. According to a spokesperson for the Council, a specific community may request a change of name. Hereafter the appropriate authorities should notify the Council, which, after due consideration of all the facts, could then recommend such change to the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.

The Council is a statutory body, whose members are appointed by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.

Place names can only be amended by the Minister, on a recommendation by the SA Geographical Names Council.

According to Act 118 of 1998 all applications for a change of place names should be directed to the SA Geographical Names Council.

These prescribed procedural steps have as yet not been completed and it is therefore highly premature and completely out of order for the local municipal council to act as if the name of the town has in fact changed.

The name of the town remains Louis Trichardt, until the South African Parliament, on the request of the Minister, acting on the advice of his statutory Names Council, should decide to entertain such a request.

The destructive removal of the name of the town from the welcoming structures at the northern and southern N1 entrances to the town, could therefore, at this stage, possibly be construed as a criminal act, comprising malicious damage of Council property.

In another development, the name fiasco has been brought to the attention of the appropriate body guarding over fundamental human rights. The actions of the MEC and of the local Municipal Council are to be tested against the prescribed and universally accepted democratic principles that should apply in such circumstances.

The open insult to a specific cultural group, implied by the purported changes, the lack of consultations with the residents of Louis Trichardt, the irresponsible failure and neglect to investigate the financial implications of the local exercise will also be scrutinised.