Fists, chairs fly over Pretoria name changes

Let me break it down for you. For years the ANC has ridden roughshod over the legitimate pleas of minorities to retain some of their heritage.

The ANC has consistently, arrogantly, pressed ahead and renamed tens of thousands of street names and sites, many after people that minorities deem to be terrorists - or after people that have nothing to do with South Africa (Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Arafat - also terrorists).

Minorities have played along thinking this was the price to pay to help build the 'rainbow nation' and opposition was dismissed as a "reluctance by racists to accept transformation". Will there ever be a day when 'transformation' will end?

Fifteen years on, the patience and goodwill is exhausted. The line has been reached and that is Pretoria. We've discussed this before. Anger is seething over names that have great historical significance - for Afrikaners in particular. The ANC is finding that attitudes have hardened and people are not prepared to stand by while their heritage and culture is attacked.

Just like the Springbok emblem is an election ploy to garner votes, so too are these moves - intended to show the white man his place under the new dispensation. That's all fine and well - if people are prepared to play along - but as can be seen by the events below, that is not the case anymore. Let the chairs fly!

ANC's 'insane name changes'
Pretorius could become Castro street
Street renaming: Castro, Che suggested

24/10/2008 - FF+ Name change battle goes to court

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Talks with the public over the renaming of 27 city streets turned ugly on Wednesday night. Police used pepper spray to bring the situation under control after opposing groups started throwing chairs at each other in the Pretoria North Town Hall.

The same group that disrupted the first meeting at the East Lynne community centre early this month was responsible for Wednesday night's chaos. One member of the group was arrested after ignoring warnings from both SAPS and the Tshwane Metro Police to stop his disruptive behaviour.

The melee had strong racial overtones and saw whites pitted against blacks.

The group that caused the ruckus was predominantly Afrikaans.

Its members were barred from entering the hall in order to allow proceedings to continue.

The meeting resumed half an hour later to allow the pepper spray to clear.

Many of the residents who attended the meeting complained that the police erred by allowing the group to attend the meeting when it clearly aimed to create a disturbance.

Mayoral committee member for housing Absalom Ditshoke, who chaired the meeting, struggled to be heard as the group heckled him and sang when he tried to speak.

However, the meeting continued and residents were given a chance to make verbal submissions and to ask for clarity around the street renaming processes.

ANC councillor Ivy Maphae said the incident was proof that many white residents were not willing to accept change.

"Why are we fooling ourselves? It has been clear from the beginning of these processes that some people are not keen on helping to better our democracy. This is clearly about race and the fact that people are angry that they have been politically defeated," she said.

Maphae said it was disappointing that on the same day that executive mayor Dr Gwen Ramokgopa was addressing the issue of white poverty, people were still dealing with issues from a racial point of view.

DA councillor Dana Wannenburg said many people were not coming to the meetings because their safety could not be guaranteed.

"These people who are disrupting meetings have been doing this from scratch and we have written to the speaker (of council) about this," he said.

One resident asked why the street name Zambezi was to be changed as the river was the fourth largest in Africa and was not offensive to anybody.

"It is a name that represents an African heritage for all of us, black or white," she stated.

Concerns were also raised about the cost implication of the renaming exercise.

A Pretoria North resident said the process would impact negatively on businesses located in streets that would be renamed.

"These businesses will have to change their stationery, names and other things," he said.

Police officers engaged in a scuffle with a disruptive group at the street renaming meeting in the Pretoria North Town Hall on Wednesday night.