3 Eastern Cape Towns Renamed After Former Minister Nathi Mthethwa Gazetted Name Changes, Sparking Criticism

• The Department of Sports, Art and Culture has changed the names of three towns in the Eastern Cape
• Fort Beaufort, Somerset East and Brooksnek were changed to KwaMagoma, KwaNojoli and Ben Mbizweni, respectively
• South Africans believe that given the myriad of problems facing the country, the money could have been best spent addressing more serious issues

EASTERN CAPE - The name changes of three towns in the Eastern Cape by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture has failed to impress South Africans.

The changes form part of former sports, arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa's bid to express South Africa's heritage and the government's plan to heal the nation.

Eastern Cape towns of Fort Beaufort, Somerset East and Brooksnek get new names

The town of Fort Beaufort was renamed to KwaMagoma, Somerset East will now be referred to as KwaNojoli and Brooksnek will be called Ben Mbizweni.

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Timeslive reported that the names had been officially registered in terms of the South African Geographical Names Council.

Other towns whose names were previously changed include Port Elizabeth, now called Gqeberha, Uitenhage was changed to Kariega and King Williams town to Qonce.

Before being shuffled out of the arts and culture department, Mthethwa said the name changes are a bid to rebrand towns and cities that have "unsavoury colonial and apartheid connotations."

Nathi Mthethwa slammed for trying to change Taal monuments name

In 2022, the former sports, arts and culture minister landed in hot water for proposing that the Taal monument be renamed on the grounds of inclusivity.

The Taal monument is an Afrikaans language museum in Taal, Western Cape.

Amid the extreme backlash, the department's Director-General Vusimuzi Mkhize rationalised the proposed name change s an attempt to accommodate other languages, eNCA reported.

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South Africans believe changing town names won't solve the nation's problems

Here's how South Africans reacted to the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture changing the names of three Eastern Cape towns.

@CyrilMboweni1 criticised:

"Instead of building new towns... No, they want to name-change the existing ones."

@Freddie47011 asked:

"Wow. What a contribution he makes to South Africa."

@Mlu_Tshabalala remarked:

"Out of all the problems we have in this country..."

@LouisChanguion commented:

"The cost to change names is enormous. Why can't the government for once prioritise spending money where it's needed the most?"

@nyebe_official slammed

"People need services, not NEW NAMES."

@Gr8edd added:

"Names don't matter maaaan... Fix Eskom with that money."

@LionLebo1 accused:

"This guy really wants to eat this R22 million."

Eastern Cape 4-year-old’s body found in school pit toilet, increasing calls for eradication of illegal latrines

In another story, Briefly News reported that the state of sanitation in South Africa's rural schools had been thrust into the stoplight once again after a devastating discovery at an Eastern Cape primary school.

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A four-year-old girl's body was found in a pit toilet on Tuesday morning, 7 March, when the little girl's mother searched for her child after she didn't come home on Monday, 6 March.

Amnesty International South Africa has slammed the four-year-old's death as unacceptable because it comes a week after the Department of Basic Education missed the deadline to eradicate all illegal pit latrines in schools.

Source: Briefly News