The executive committee of the Makhado Municipality has taken a resolution to restart the process of renaming the town of Louis Trichardt back to Makhado once again. The resolution was taken during the council´s special meeting held at the council chambers last Thursday.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein ruled in favour of the Chairperson’s Association when it reversed the town´s name change to Louis Trichardt. The main reason for the Supreme Court´s ruling was that proper consultation was not followed by the council when the town´s name of Louis Trichardt was changed to Makhado.

On Thursday, members of the public and members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) were carrying placards which read: Makhado se dorp, This is Makhado town, Dorobo ya Makhado, Cosatu support Makhado and Forward with Makhado, forward.

These members were also chanting and singing the deputy president of the ANC´s current trademark song, Mchine Wa´m and other liberation struggle songs.

When the political head of the municipality, Cllr Glory Tsakani Mashaba, read the recommendations of the executive committee and proposed to council that the renaming process of the town be restarted, her fellow ANC councillors supported her proposal. The first to raise an objection against the proposal was Cllr Marie Helm of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP). Helm notified the speaker of the council, Cllr Joan Hoorzuk, that she would submit her disagreement after the special council meeting. When Cllr Brian du Plooy of the Democratic Alliance (DA) proposed that the town’s name should stay Louis Trichardt the ANC councilors and some members of the public jeered the proposal.

Realising that the house was divided, the speaker of the council announced that the voting process had to take place. After the voting process, 55 councilors of the ANC, PAC of Azania, AZAPO and the UDM voted in favour of the restarting process of changing the town´s name to Makhado again, while five members of the DA and the ACDP voted against.

Cllr Sipho Masuka of the Independent Democrats (ID) did not participate in the voting process. Masuka said that it was unfortunate that council was now meeting to reconsider what his party has already suggested that due processes should be followed correctly. "It is again unfortunate that our communities are led by people who take five years to understand proper consultation. The ID is not supporting any financial implication arising from the Supreme Court´s judgement. We would also like to warn the ruling ANC and the DA to use this platform to unite the people, rather than embarking on ethnicity arguments," he said.

Cllr Mashudu Radamba of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania said that the Louis Trichardt area has been known as Makhado and it will remain as Makhado. "The PAC fully supports the resolution taken by the council of restarting the whole process afresh," he said.

During an exclusive interview with Mirror, Mayor Mashaba stated that they "respect the law and the judgment of the Supreme Court thereof, but as council, we have taken a resolution to restart the whole process immediately. The Supreme Court ruling proved to me that, in whatever you do, you can be challenged." Mashaba urged all residents to practice their constitutional rights by "vigorously" participating once the re-naming process resumes.

The mayor confirmed that the municipality is going to convene a task team to ensure that due process is followed this time around in all the municipality´s wards. "As we will be starting with the consultation process soonest, as council we will also strategise to ensure that we are not repeating the mistakes that happened previously," she claimed.

The Makhado Municipality is comprised of 37 wards and four regions which are Vuwani, Waterval, Dzanani and Louis Trichardt.