NELSPRUIT, 29 September 2008 - Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr. Pallo Jordan, will be launching a two day national programme of public hearings on the standardization of geographical names in Nelspruit on 16-17 October 2008 at MTPA conference room formerly known as Parks Board from 09h00-15h00. As part of the government’s campaign to build a social cohesion, MEC for Culture, Sport and Recreation, DD Pule will co-host the event under the theme,

“Building Social Cohesion through the Standardization of Geographical Names”.

The hearings are expected to lay a basis for the development of a national consensus on synchronizing and accelerating the process particularly around the following:-

·        place names with incorrect spelling

·        multiple and duplicated names

·        names used but not registered, and

·        offensive names

Mpumalanga Premier Thabang Makwetla, MECs, Executive Mayors, Traditional leadership, leaders of organized labour and business, leaders of political parties and civil society, senior government officials, South African Geographic Names Council, Members of  Provincial and Local Geographic Names Committees, members of the  National and Provincial Portfolio Committees on Arts and Culture are expected to take part in the hearings.

Mpumalanga which has over the past two years seen a significant increase in the number of towns, settlements, villages, rivers, streets amongst features proposed for possible renaming, continues to be the mainstream of the geographical names standardization process with the Minister choosing it as a place to launch the public hearings programme.

A media dinner to be hosted by the National Minister of Arts and Culture is also planned for 16 October 2008 at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in Nelspruit from 18h00.

MEC Dina Pule said that the hearings will help to consolidate the views of all stakeholders around the critical debate on strengthening the political and socio-economic case for the transformation of geographical names in the Mpumalanga province and the country at large.

“We remain convinced as a province that this process should be consolidated and entrenched as part of the broader political socio-economic transformation agenda of the government and that an identity acceptable to the residents of Mpumalanga be developed and preserved”, she said.

“We firmly believe in an African identity for Africa which is the overriding principle guiding our approach in undertaking the process and hope that all proud South Africans will join us in the quest to restore that which rightfully belongs to us as a people”, the MEC continued.

Mpumalanga has since the inception of the South African Geographical Names Council Act 118 of 1998 had 119 national competency geographical names approved by the Minister of Arts and Culture.

The province has over the past two years received a further 93 applications for the possible renaming of towns and villages including the provincial capital Nelspruit and the key towns of Belfast and Balfour. Lydenburg town and Witbank city have already been gazetted into Mashishing and eMalahleni respectively.

Ends.

For more information please contact:

 Mr. Gordon Nkgathi              or        Mr. Blessing Mokoena

(013) 766 5064                               (013) 766 5083

083 555 8053                                   072 951 7195

gnkgathi@mpg.gov.za                              kbmokoena@mpg.gov.za

Issued by Communication Section

Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation

Contact: Sammy Mpatlanyane

013 7665014/ 082 923 0550