The Chairpersons Association demands that the ‘boss’ of the names council step down before they speak to the council. The South African Geographical Names Council wants to meet the CA and the Makhado Municipality this week.
This is the latest turn of events in the name-change saga of the town Louis Trichardt.
Advocate Thomas Kwena Ntsewa has been requested to step down as member, as well as chairperson, of the SAGNC. The CA says that Adv Ntsewa will not be able to play an objective and impartial role and it will be improper for him to take part in any process in respect of the name change of Louis Trichardt to Makhado.
“I do not concede that a consultative process was necessary at all,” are the infamous words that were stated by Adv Ntsewa in the previous court matter and quoted by the CA in their objection. The CA states that, as former chairperson of the Limpopo Regional Names Council, Adv Ntsewa announced that “the name of Louis Trichardt is now Makhado”. That occurred subsequent to the recommendation of the regional council and prior to any decision of the SAGNC or the Minister.
“This you did despite the fact that a proper consultation process was not followed and with full knowledge that the recommendation of the Regional Names Council could not have that effect. This demonstrates a total disregard of the process by you,” the CA wrote in a letter dated 15 January. The letter was for the attention of Adv Ntsewa and a copy was delivered to the Director of the Living Heritage Department, Arts and Culture, Mr P Mthembu.
The names of councillors serving presently on the SAGNC have also been requested by the CA.
“We also need to know whether any of these councillors have served on any other names council … and if so, who these councillors are,” the CA requested in a letter dated February 2.
Adv Ntsewa informed the CA that their “fact-finding mission” will proceed on February 4. In the advocate’s first letter, dated January 15, he states that there was a need “to verify some of the facts in both documents (application and objection) before a decision is taken to recommend for approval or rejection by the Minister”. The CA and the Makhado Municipality were expected to make a presentation, based on the documentation they had submitted.
“As soon as you have complied with our request for information, as well as with our application for your recusal, we will be most willing to arrange a date for a meeting with the SAGNC,” the CA states in a letter dated January 27.
The CA’s other condition before meeting with the SAGNC is to receive the information and documentation that they have requested. Besides the names of the councillors, they requested the minutes of the SAGNC meeting in Durban on January 14 and 15. They also want to know which documents in their objection against the name change will be discussed at the proposed meeting. They requested insight into the documents in the municipality’s application that will be discussed. The minutes, decision and recommendation of the Limpopo Regional Geographical Names Committee are also requested.
“We hereby inform you with prejudice of rights that the proposed meeting cannot take place with us as you have so far not complied with any of our reasonable requests. The lack of transparency from you as chairperson in particular and your council in general is shocking,” the CA states.
Concerning some of the information that the CA requested, Adv Ntsewa replied that the secretariat was in the process of finalising the draft minutes for ratification by the SAGNC at its next meeting in April this year. Ntsewa wrote that he had instructed the Secretariat to forward copies of the application form and relevant documents “once you have confirmed in principle your participation. Unfortunately, the law prevents us from disclosing personal details of council members.”
Clearly the SAGNC and CA are at loggerheads. The “unilaterally” scheduled meeting is expected to proceed without the CA