Cape Town - More than 4 800 proposals have been put forward for the 91 NY streets in Gugulethu that are expected to be renamed by August.
Many of the names suggested are of ordinary people who have contributed in some way to the community - such as Sophaphazi, the owner of a funeral parlour, and Njunja, after an NY11 resident who shone on the basketball court.
While political figures such as Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki are on the list, there are other suggestions that simply capture the spirit of this neighbourhood.
These include “Luvuyile” to signify that “we are happy and united on this street”, “Buntu” because “the people help each other fight crime” and “Sisonke” because “we help and motivate each other”.
Religious names are also popular, such as “Qabazi” to honour the resident priest of the parish on NY3. Struggle icons are also remembered, with proposals for streets to be named after Archie Gumede, Chris Hani and Robert Sobukwe. Businessmen, community leaders, spiritual figures and even the police who were allocated houses in NY155 may feature when the new names are chosen.
Popular tavern owner Mzoli Ngcawuzele may also be honoured for his contribution to the community.
Mayoral committee member for transport Brett Herron said there was still some debate about the meaning of the NY term, commonly thought to stand for “Native Yard”. However, regardless of its meaning, NY was not a “dignified” moniker for the streets and public places of Gugulethu.
“Over the past nine months, assisted by our service provider Name Your Hood, we have been consulting with the residents of Gugulethu, and in particular the people who live on these 91 streets, and have been encouraging them to submit naming proposals for their streets.”
He said the city’s extensive public consultation process had been very successful.
“We have knocked on doors and spoken to residents at shops, churches, schools and other public places in Gugulethu. We have also run a very modern electronic platform for our Gugs residents to submit naming proposals.”
The 11-person panel, chaired by Shado Twala, will consider the proposals and make recommendations to the city’s naming committee. These will then be referred to the mayor and council for approval.
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