Johannesburg - Women are taking over the Joburg CBD’s streets.
The City of Joburg is planning to rename some of the streets to honour struggle icons.
Bree Street will become Lillian Ngoyi Street.
Jeppe Street will be Rahima Moosa Street.
President Street will be Helen Joseph Street.
Noord Street will be Sophie de Bruyn Street.
“The move to rename some of the streets in the Joburg CBD, Soweto and Alexandra was approved by the City of Joburg recently,” said the city.
The city has already renamed the section of the R24 that runs through Joburg, including the city centre, formerly Market Street. The entire R24 from Pretoria in the north east to where it leaves Joburg on the West Rand is now Albertina Sisulu Road.
Ngoyi, Moosa, Joseph and De Bruyn led the march of 20 000 women to Pretoria on August 8, 1956 to object to the pass laws.
The anniversary of this march is commemorated on Women’s Day.
The Joburg Heritage Foundation has welcomed the renaming.
“We are very happy with the choice of the names of women. Together with Albertina Sisulu, the heart of Joburg will become much more gender sensitive,” said the foundation.
“We have no objection to the loss of Bree, which is simply a translation of ‘wide’ – an interesting comment because Joburg streets tend to be narrow.
“President Street doesn’t apply to any specific president and so has no special meaning.”
Jeppe Street was named after Julius Jeppe, and the foundation said there would still be a suburb named after him.
“Pritchard Street, we believe, should be retained. Pritchard was a land surveyor and we have so little appreciation for the enormous contribution made by land surveyors in defining exact details of the land since it is described by survey,” the foundation said.
The planned renaming of Sauer Street – where The Star is based – is also likely to go ahead.
The city said it had issued notices calling for comment on the plan to rename Sauer Street Pixley ka Seme Street.
“No public comments were received on the renaming of Sauer Street,” said the city.
Streets in Alexandra are also up for renaming.
“During the Soweto students’ uprising in 1976, many young students sacrificed their lives in the struggle for freedom. As a way of recognising the role they played, it has been proposed that in Region E, Lion Crescent in East Bank in Alexandra be renamed Japie Vilankulu Crescent. In Region D, Thabete Street in Orlando West is to be renamed Hastings Ndlovu,” said the city.
“In Dobsonville Extension 4, the following names have been proposed: Batho Drive, Naledi Street, Bakopane Street, Mthembu Drive, Phumelelo Street, Tswelopelo Drive, Boiketlo Street, Mahlare Street, Morula Crescent and Sechaba Street.
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The Star