MyPE

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We do not support Port Elizabeth name change

By

Dear MyPE

The Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee’s call to change the name of Port Elizabeth to Gqebera is a slap in the face of the poor and suffering people of the province and the Democratic Alliance (DA) will never support this.

The Eastern Cape government will have to spend millions of rands to change the name while 36.5% of the residents of the province, according to Stats SA’s most recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey, are unemployed. The province yet again has the highest expanded rate of unemployment in the country, at 46.5%. This translates to more than 1,2 million people in the province who are without work. Countrywide more than 10 million people are now unemployed.

EC Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who also plans to change the name of the province, is clearly out of touch with the needs of the people.

The Eastern Cape is currently suffering under a crippling drought. Taps are running dry and farmers are losing their livestock and crops. The millions that would be spent on name changes can be used instead to assist our farmers. The need for drought assistance is great, especially after the provincial department for rural development and agrarian reform only made R3,2 million available to assist farmers.

The name Port Elizabeth defines who we are and it has been the name identifying our Friendly City to generations of people. The majority of our people love the name of the City and do not find it offensive at all. Not all names from the past are offensive.

Premier Mabuyane should focus instead on making sure that the failing Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is placed under administration and that Council is dissolved and the local government elections rerun.

Nelson Mandela Bay is one of the top 5 municipalities in South Africa when it comes to irregular expenditure and is currently ungovernable due to corruption, maladministration and violence.

Changing the names of the province and Port Elizabeth must be the last thing on Premier Mabuyane’s priority list.

Only a DA government will not be deterred by frivolous name changes and will focus on job creation, growing the economy and delivering services to all.

Regards

Nqaba Bhanga, MPL
DA Eastern Cape Provincial Leader

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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.