Cape Town -
The first of the offensive Native Yard street names, NY1, will be renamed Stephen Biko Drive on Monday to mark the launch of the “Name your Hood” campaign in Gugulethu.
Mayor Patricia de Lille and Premier Helen Zille will rename NY1 on Heritage Day as the public participation process to change 91 street names and eight “hoods” in Gugulethu is launched.
De Lille and Zille will celebrate with the Biko family at Gugulethu Square as the area sheds its first NY street name and honours the Struggle icon.
In a statement, De Lille said the city’s administration was “committed to redress and reconciliation and to honouring the heroes of our past and the sacrifices they made to realise a democratic South Africa”.
Monday marks the start of a process whereby Gugulethu residents will be invited to give their input into changing the derogatory names that have been given to 91 streets in their area.
Eight zones or “hoods” will also be renamed in Gugulethu.
A door-to-door campaign will take place after the launch and pamphlets will be handed out to residents, explaining how they can submit their street name proposals.
Residents will have the option to submit their proposals manually or via social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Naming committee chairman Brett Herron said previously that the “Name your Hood” campaign was aimed at engaging with the community in a “creative and innovative” way.
After the launch, the voting for name changes will be open for two weeks before the submissions are given to the naming committee to deliberate over.
Last week, members of the naming committee asked that Name Your Hood, who will be running the campaign in Gugulethu, ensure that the youth are educated on the history of the area.
Councillors also asked that community leaders and political activists from the area are consulted on the history of various streets that are up for renaming.
Name Your Hood founder Bruce Good assured the naming committee that they would continue to consult with the various stakeholders in the community about the area’s history and character.
The council is expected to vote on the name changes in Gugulethu in a year’s time.
Last month, the council approved several street name changes which included Coen Steytler Avenue becoming Walter Sisulu Avenue, Hendrik Verwoerd Drive changing to Uys Krige Drive and Modderdam Road being named after Robert Sobukwe.
The proposal to honour Struggle veteran Dullah Omar was scrapped last month when the Omar family did not support the proposal that Vanguard Drive or a portion of Jan Smuts Drive be named after Omar. De Lille said the city would look at another way of honouring Omar.
Cape Times