LEBOWAKGOMO - There was cheering, ululating and singing at the opening session of the Provincial Legislature, when Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi announced the official changing of the name of the province, and the impending new names for a number of towns.

The bad news is that the provincial name change will cost the province R40 million, at a time when it has an unemployment rate of 40 percent, as well as numerous urgent social issues, which need to be addressed.

Ramatlhodi said the cost of marketing and promoting the new name would be R6 million, while alterations to road signs will amount to R8 million. The ordering of new stationery for government departments will come to R26 million.

He explained that the name switch would be underwritten by a contribution of R2 million from the so-called Premier's Discretionary Fund, and various amounts from the budgets of government departments.

While the provincial process has had a smooth passage through the legislature, the renaming of towns has sparked an emotional storm in some communities, with hundreds of whites adopting a militant stance. There has even been talk of financial boycotts, involving the withholding of municipal payments by ratepayers.

Opposition members said this was not surprising, as the process was imposed on the people of the province without proper notice or consultation. Local Government MEC Joe Maswanganyi had allowed exactly four days for suggested names to be submitted to local councils. It had been impossible for anyone to consult their constituencies, to obtain proper mandates, or to make well-informed decisions, they claimed.

In less than two weeks, it was decided at local government level that Pietersburg would become Polokwane, Potgietersrus would change to Mokopane, Nylstroom to Modimolle, Warmbaths to Bela-Bela, and Messina to Musina.

Interestingly, Tzaneen is likely to retain its name, and this has inevitably led to accusations of "selective discrimination" by residents of other towns.

No one has been able to estimate the cost of the name changing process to the private sector. Once everything has been finally approved, thousands of computer programmes and data bases will have to be revised, and the wordings of contracts, promotional brochures, letterheads and business signs will need to be altered.

During his speech, Ramatlhodi called for a spirit of understanding and reconciliation. He denied that the renaming initiatives were aimed at humiliating the Afrikaner. He said his government was discharging an obligation, under the Constitution, to free languages, which had been shackled by colonialism and apartheid.

"Part of the task of the liberation struggle is to regain the humanity of the Africans, including their right to call themselves by their own names", he explained.

The Premier pointed out that some names would not be changed immediately "to allow for more consultation".

A large number of observers, including veteran politician Burger Lategan, former leader of the opposition in the House, believe the Premier's reconciliation call has come too late. "Many Afrikaners have already been alienated, because of the poor management of the process, as well as the lack of proper consultation," Lategan contended.

He said the move, designed to create unity had, in fact, left communities as divided as they were before.

The Democratic Alliance, United Democratic Movement and the African Christian Democratic Party in the province have questioned the timing and the cost of the changes.

Ramatlhodi's ANC government has, however, received enthusiastic support on the issue from the Pan Africanist Congress.