New move to scrap Mdantsane’s apartheid-era ‘native units’

A long-running push to scrap Mdantsane’s apartheid-era “native unit” (NU) designations is back on the table, after the decision to officially rename East London to KuGompo City — along with changes to major roads, suburbs, a hospital and even the metro’s own name. This comes ahead of plans for theEastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committeeand the metro’s similar committee (MGNC) to hold a four-daypublic consultationroadshow across the metro in March. Mdantsane zones, still referred to as “native units”, will form part of the public consultations.

In its latest bulletin for the roadshow, the geographical names committee has included Mdantsane units 1, 2, 6, 7 and 10. The matter first came to light in 2003 when the then BCM mayor, Sandisile Maclean, asked the provincial government how to go about changing what it termed the “racially offensive” names of Mdantsane’s “native units”. Maclean had ordered that the process be researched and the offensive designations dropped.

Other Eastern Cape townships such as Motherwell in Gqeberha also use the NU designation. Under this democratic dispensation, people like Happy-Boy Mgxaji, a renowned boxer, must be honoured. Community activist Thabang Maseko, who runs the nonprofit organisation Phakama Mdantsane (stand up), said they had been calling for the zone name changes for many years.

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“It is long overdue because we have wanted this process to happen. There have been talks and suggestions, but I don’t recall it taking place. “We are happy now that it is coming together because Mdantsane is rich in history.

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