Objections to name change proposal for Orange River

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

AfriForum has submitted its objection to the proposed name change of the Orange River in the Maletswai - or Aliwal North - municipal area.

According to an advertisement published in the Aliwal Weekblad, the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee proposes that the river's name be changed to Gqili or Senqu.

This, because the "present name is perceived to have a strong association with the history of colonial subjugation and therefore has no place under the current democratic dispensation".

AfriForum Deputy CEO Alana Bailey says they do not agree with this motivataion.
She says the name has been in use for some 200 years and carries a broader history than just that of colonialism.
She says its part of South African history and a change now would only create an impression of intolerance towards a certain section of the community.

Bailey argues that the Committe is also acting beyond its legal parametres by proposing a name change to a feature that falls outside its provincial borders.
The public may submit comments to the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee to the 14th of June.