Following the announcement by Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) last month that a few airports are going to be renamed, the steps towards renaming 4 of Cape Town’s airports are underway. Cape Town International Airport, East London Airport, Port Elizabeth International Airport and Kimberley Airport are expected to have new names in the coming months as part of the government’s Transformation of Heritage Landscape programme.
Some public figures have shared their views on the future names of the airports. EFF leader Julius Malema voiced opinions that Cape Town International Airport should be named after Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Transport Minister Blade Nzimande called for the same airport to be renamed in honour of Nelson Mandela.
Here are the processes ahead for finalising these changes.
Public Proposals:
Members of the public have until close of business on June 6 to submit proposals to [email protected] for consideration or to hand-deliver them to an Acsa office or your nearest airport.
The Geographical Names Provincial Committee Review proposals:
Once the public proposal period closes the Geographical Names Provincial Committee will review all proposals received and ensure they comply with the guidelines in the national Handbook on Geographical Names says Acsa spokesperson Hulisani Rasivhaga.
The South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) will Advise on appropriate names:
Once the Provincial Committee have reviewed the proposals, they will be sent along to the South African Geographical Names Council who will then make a decision on the names they have received and forward them to the minister of arts and culture for final approval.
The Final selection of names will be published in the Government Gazette:
Following the approval process, the final selection of names will be published in the Government Gazette for public review. The public will be given a period of 30 days from the publish date in which to submit any feedback or objections.
The names are finally changed:
Any objections will be assessed by the minister of arts and culture before the final names are published in the Governments Gazette thereafter.
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