DURBAN - The ANC said on Thursday that the renaming of Western Cape suburb Zonnebloem back to District Six was another step in undoing South Africa's apartheid legacy.
The change was gazetted on Tuesday by minister of sports, arts and culture, Nathi Mthwethwa.
"As we celebrate our democracy and its astonishing achievements, we need to recall the promise we made to our masses in addressing the injustices which resulted from land dispossession," said the governing party's national spokesperson Pule Mabe.
He said the ANC was also "greatly encouraged" by steps taken by government to address "the land question".
"We are expecting the draft bill on expropriation of land without compensation to be published for public comment in the coming weeks. The latest move by minister Mthwethwa cannot be divorced from this process of undoing the apartheid legacy."
Mabe said government had shown strong determination to transform the heritage of South Africa so that it reflected "the true history of our people".
"We therefore, call on all South Africans to make submissions in support of the name change within the stipulated 60 days period."
District Six was declared a "whites-only" area by the apartheid regime in 1966 and from 1968, some 60,000 residents were evicted to the Cape Flats.