MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) - Signboards on the N1 indicate the town as Makhado despite the fact the Department of Justice has adhered to the Chairpersons Association’s request to suspend the implementation of all name changes until the court case has been finalized.

“Councillors and employees of the municipality responsible for the implementation of the name change will jointly and severally be held accountable for payment of all wasted costs,” the Chairperson of the Chairpersons Association (CA), Mr André Naudé, said on Tuesday. This will happen in event of the CA being successful with the review proceedings, which seems highly probable.

The CA this week sent four letters, dated September 29, 2004, addressed to the respective offices of the Ministry: Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, the Limpopo Premier, Mr Sello Moloto, the South African Road Agency (SANRA) and the Makhado Municipal Manager.

The recent letter to Minister Ben Ngubane referred to a letter from a legal firm dated November 28, 2003, addressed to Dr Ngubane himself wherein the minister was requested to “advise the relevant authorities to desist from carrying out the proposed changes” and save enormous expenditure.

“Despite this letter, we take note that all the signboards along the N1 route are being changed from ‘Louis Trichardt’ to ‘Makhado.’ We wish to emphasize that the review proceedings have not been finalized yet and are still in the process of being finalized. Please take note that your department will be held accountable for all the wasted costs herein by the Chairpersons Association consisting of 40 chairpersons and approximately 75 000 people,” reads the letter to the minister.

“We have raised our objections with the Department of Justice and they have adhered to our request to suspend the implementation of all name changes until the court case has been finalized.

“You are well aware that the review proceedings have not been finalized yet as all documentations have been served on your department and the State attorney is busy dealing with the matter.

“You do understand that if the process has to be reversed as a result of the CA’s being successful with the review proceedings, those immense costs will have to be incurred by your department and all other departments as a result of your failure to put the implementation … on hold,” reads the letter.

The official renaming of the town from Louis Trichardt to Makhado was gazetted on the 6 June 2003. Thereafter followed an objection period of thirty days. Within the objection period a complaint, with documentation comprising 205 pages, was handed to the office of the relevant minister, Dr Ngubane. The essence of the complaint centred on the fundamental issues of the absence of proper consultation, the name “Makahdo” and the cost implication. The estimated cost to re-establish a new identity for the town is around R18 million. Proper and authentic consultations with interested parties, particularly the local population, were not held. It was never established that there was a need or a local demand for the town’s name to be changed.

The legal process to review the decision to change the town’s name is now underway.

Ms Jana Smith, Chairperson of the Soutpansberg Chamber of Commerce, asked the business community once again on Tuesday not to incur costs to implement name changes.