Pretoria - Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile has asked the City of Tshwane to broaden the scope of consultation into the renaming of Pretoria.
"In the interest of openness and in order to promote the inclusive process of decision making, I have asked the mayor of Tshwane to broaden the consultation process of the issue of the renaming of Pretoria to Tshwane," Mashatile said on Friday.
The change of the capital city's name to Tshwane has been a longstanding and thorny issue, and there was a need to engage in dialogue so as to reach consensus on the matter.
"We must prioritise reaching a consensus," said Mashatile.
Mashatile was speaking at the declaration of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria as a National Heritage Site, the first Afrikaans monument since 1994 to be declared a national heritage site.
Speaking at the same event, Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said discussions into the renaming had already begun with various political parties.
"By the end of June, we should have a package when we meet with the minister. The intention is to show that this country belongs to all. We are positive and enthusiastic," said the mayor.
Previously, the minister and Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane had said that the issue had to be concluded by the end of 2012.
