The IFP says the issue of renaming KwaZulu-Natal into KwaZulu, which King Misuzulu kaZwelithini suggested, will have to go through public hearings before being officially requested through official channels. 

The party also wants a public debate on its concern that the colonial authorities’ demarcations took some parts of the Zulu Kingdom to the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga provinces.

The IFP backs the renaming of KwaZulu-Natal, which the king said he would campaign for. 

IFP National Chairperson Blessed Gwala said the party had not lobbied for the removal of Natal from the province’s name.

“It is only that after the king had spoken that we say it was our position right from the beginning.

“There must be a discussion among people of KwaZulu-Natal on the matter and come up with a solution. It is not a cut-and-dried issue,” said Gwala.  

He said parts of the province were in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.

“The demarcation robbed us of tracks of land. This is a matter of discussion because we do not have answers, but I was just putting on the table that there are these things which have not been finalised. 

“It must be a matter of discussion by the people of KwaZulu-Natal and come up with an amicable solution, and there must be a consensus.”

Zulu expert Professor Sihawu Ngubane said renaming the province as KwaZulu is a good idea, but the parliamentary process should be followed.

“The name Natal is a colonial name, which belongs to the oppressors. The National Assembly should deal with the matter,” he said.

Ngubane suggested that other provinces, whose names are based on their geographic locations, such as the Eastern Cape and North West, among others, should also be given proper names.

“Only Gauteng has a proper name, but there should be public consultation to find out what the communities say about changing the names, which is a long process that should start somewhere,” said Ngubane. 

The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) also supports the proposal, which King Misuzulu announced during the 147th commemoration of the Battle of Isandlwana recently, saying he would lead a campaign to have Natal removed.

“Natal is a colonial name imposed to commemorate colonial conquest, while ‘KwaZulu’ reflects African identity, history, and continuity. 

“The PAC has consistently argued that colonial and apartheid symbols should not enjoy permanent status in a liberated Azania (South Africa),” said PAC Secretary General Apa Pooe.

The PAC commended Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) Minister Gayton McKenzie’s approval of the renaming of Graaff-Reinet town in the Eastern Cape after its founding leader and Struggle stalwart, Robert Sobukwe. 

McKenzie approved the recommendation by the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) to change 21 geographical names in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

East London will soon be known as KuGompo City. 

“On the renaming of Graaff-Reinet after Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, the PAC regards this as long-overdue. 

“Sobukwe was one of the foremost African thinkers and revolutionaries produced by this country,” said Pooe.

He said the renaming of East London to KuGompo City restores indigenous African place names that existed before colonial conquest. 

“Names such as ‘East London’ are colonial impositions that erased African presence and memory,” he said. 

Graaff-Reinet, which is known as eRhafu in the IsiXhosa language, is Sobukwe’s birthplace, and the colonial authority named it after Dutch Governor Cornelis Jacob van de Graaff and his wife, Reynet.

PAC’s break party, Revolutionary PAC-POQO of Occupied Azania (RPAC-POQO), also supported the renaming initiative.

“The renaming of Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Municipality is a significant act of decolonisation, reflecting a conscious effort to reclaim African identity and heritage,” said RPAC-POQO Secretary-General Nkrumah Raymond Kgagudi in a statement released on Wednesday.

DSAC described the renaming as an ongoing commitment to transforming South Africa’s naming landscape, promoting social cohesion, and recognising the country’s diverse heritage.

It remains unknown which other new names will be introduced to replace the old ones, as the DSAC said this would only be publicised once the changes have been officially gazetted. 

“In our efforts to build a socially cohesive society grounded in the values of human dignity, the standardisation and renaming of towns, cities, and geographical features also contribute to symbolic reparations. 

“This aligns with the government’s commitment to implementing the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) recommendations for restoring dignity and correcting historical imbalances,” read the statement. 

bongani.hans@inl.co.za

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