Cape Town - Controversial cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro is excited about his new spot in Gugulethu – NY 106 is to become Zapiro Lane.
The City of Cape Town will start replacing “NY” street names in Gugulethu next week with names put forward by residents.
On Saturday at the Gugulethu Stadium an event was held to mark the “finalisation” of the 90 new street names.
“NY” is widely understood to stand for “native yard”.
On media invites the stadium’s location was still given as NY 49, but this will be changed soon.
The new name will be Indwe Street, Xhosa for the Blue Crane, the country’s national bird.
Addressing a crowd of about 400 people, mayco member for transport Brett Herron said the replacement of street signs would continue until January, at a cost of about R370 000.
Herron thanked Gugulethu residents for submitting more than 4 500 proposals for new names. “We are removing the NY streets once and for all,” he said to applause.
Friends Bongani Mqhakayi and Simbongile Nkapayi, who live on NY 3, came to the event to hear what the names would be.
Mqhakayi said: “So far we think they have chosen good names. It is important they should choose names of the people who fought for freedom.”
NY 3 is being changed to Qabazi Drive, after Rev Qabazi, an Anglican priest, school principal and community leader.
Shapiro, who was also in the crowd, said he was “over the moon” that NY 106 would become Zapiro Lane.
The cartoonist said it had been “gratifying” that the name changing process had been driven by Gugulethu residents themselves, because it gave the new names more credence. He said he was looking forward to visiting the street. “I am definitely going to go and check it out”.
The process to find new names started in September last year.
Between last November and March, the city asked Gugulethu residents to suggest new names as part of its “name your hood” campaign.
To spread the word, city officials went door-to-door and handed out pamphlets.
After the 4 500 paper and online proposals were received, they were mulled over by a panel of experts, who chose the 90 they believed were best.
Gugulethu residents then had the chance to vote – online or at booths at shopping malls – to say if they agreed or disagreed with the panel’s proposals.
One major Gugulethu thoroughfare that has already been changed is NY1, which was renamed Steve Biko Drive last year.
The street, which links the N2 to Lansdowne Road, was renamed on Heritage Day to launch the city’s renaming campaign.
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