Either remove the new signage or restart the renaming process.
|||Removing the new street names will confuse Durban residents.
That is why the ANC in the eThekwini municipality on Thursday resolved to restart the street renaming process and follow the proper public parti-cipation process.
In a document tabled by city manager Michael Sutcliffe at the executive committee meeting, it was suggested that the council either remove the new signage that was installed in 2007 and replace it with old names, or restart the renaming process.
The recommendations came after the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the renaming of nine streets in the first phase of name changes had not been carried out in a procedurally correct manner and set aside the eThekwini council decision to rename them, ordering it to remove signs indicating the new names and put back the old ones.
The nine roads are Victoria Embankment (Margaret Mncadi), Stanger Street (Stalwart Simelane), NMR Avenue (Masabalala Yengwa), Point Road (Mahatma Gandhi), Alice Street (Johannes Nkosi), Grey Street (Dr Yusuf Dadoo), Broad Street (Dr Yusuf Dadoo), Commercial Road (Dr AB Xuma) and the M4 northern freeway (Ruth First Freeway).
The DA’s appeal against the renaming of 90 other streets in the second phase, including the highly contentious renaming of streets like Amanzimtoti’s Kingsway to Andrew Zondo and Moore Road to Che Guevara, was dismissed by the court.
Judge Fritz Brand last week ordered the city to remove all signage bearing the new names within three months, and to pay the costs of the appeal.
The DA has since written a letter to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela and requested an investigation of the street renaming matter after the court’s decision.
Only the DA’s Tex Collins and Ronnie Veeran voted for the first option during the meeting yesterday which recommended that the council immediately remove the new signage and replace them with old names.
The majority of councillors, five ANC members, chose the second option which states that advertisements would have to be placed in local newspapers giving the public 21 days to recommend new names for the nine streets.
The council recommendation would have to be published in local newspapers for 21 days and by next year February the council would make its final determination.
ANC councillor Nigel Gumede said the second option was more feasible.
“Taking down the names will definitely be confusing; it will leave the people of Durban confused.”
When mayor James Nxumalo said the city was trying to correct history by renaming streets, Collins interjected and said: “You cannot correct history; you can’t alter history. What happened on Thursday has happened; you cannot un-ring a bell.”
Speaker Logie Naidoo said street renaming was instead a process of transforming society.