Pretoria - The Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality says it will continue with the process of changing street names following the ruling by the Northern Gauteng High Court in favour of the city allowing it to continue with street name changes.
The ruling on Monday followed a bid by Afriforum to have an interdict granted against the city changing certain street names.
The city, which welcomed the court ruling, said it would continue with the process of changing 28 street names. It had already started the process.
The following changes will be implemented:
- Leah Mangope Road will be changed to Peter Magano Road
- Lucas Mangope Highway will be changed to Molefe Makinta Highway
- Church Street from Nelson Mandela to the East will be changed to Stanza Bopape Street
- Church Street from Nelson Mandela to Church Square will be changed to Helen Joseph Street
- Church Street from Church Square to the R511 will be changed to WF Nkomo Street
- Church Street from the R511 to the West will be changed to Elias Motswaledi Street
- Michael Brink Street will be changed to Nico Smith Street
- Zambezi Drive will be changed to Sefako Makgatho Drive
- Hendrik Verwoerd Drive will be changed to Johan Heyns Drive
- Beatrix/Mears/Voortrekker Street will be changed to Steve Biko Street
- Hans Strydom Drive will be changed to Solomon Mahlangu Drive
- Mitchell Street will be changed to Charlotte Maxeke Street
- Schoeman Street will be changed to Francis Baard Street
- Van Der Walt Street will be changed to Lilian Ngoyi Street
- Andries Street will be changed to Thabo Sehume Street
- D F Malan Drive will be changed to E'skia Mphahlele Drive
- Prinsloo Street will be changed to Sisulu Street
- Skinner Street will be changed to Nana Sita Street
- Jacob Mare Street will be changed to Jeff Masemola Street
- Queen Wilhelmina Avenue will be changed to Florence Ribeiro Avenue
- Esselen Street will be changed to Robert Sobukwe Street
- Vermeulen Street will be changed to Madiba Street
- Schubart Street will be changed to Sophie De Bruyn Street
- Potgieter Street will be changed to Kgosi Mampuru Street
- Proes Street will be changed to Johannes Ramokhoase Street
- Duncan Street will be changed to Jan Shoba Street
- General Louis Botha Drive will be changed to January Masilela Drive
- Walker Street and Charles Street will be changed to Justice Mohammed Street
The city said the process should be seen as a nation building exercise aimed at bringing social cohesion and healing from the past.
It said nationally, the renaming of geographical features, including street names in South Africa, forms part of the process of forging a common identity and nationhood and facilitates the ushering in of a new society through which naming has been receiving attention at the highest level of governance since the advent of democracy in 1994.
"At a local government level, and specifically the City of Tshwane, street name changes also provided, through the various public consultation sessions prior to implementation, an opportunity to involve all Tshwane residents to contribute to forging an inclusive national identity, to deepen their understanding of local history and heritage," said the city.
