Establishment
The Free State Provincial Geographical Names Committee was established in terms of section 2(2)(a) of the South African Geographical Names Council Act, 1998. It was established by the provincial department or Sport, Arts and Culture after consultation with the South African Geographical Names Council.
Functions
A PGNC is responsible for advising local authorities and working with them in ensuring that they apply the principles of the SAGNC to the names under their jurisdiction.A PGNC makes recommendations to the SAGNC on the names of geographical features that fall within its provincial boundaries. It should do preparatory work for the submission of names to the SABNC and is responsible for seeing to it that local communities and other stakeholders are adequately consulted.A PGNC liaises with the SAGNC on promoting research and ensuring that unrecorded names are collected.
Provincial Geographical Names Committee
The focus on the Committee is on names of places that are either wrongly spelled, appear in more than one place, are offensive or discriminatory and that are not registered. These names are found across the province in the five districts and are continuously receiving attention from the committee:
- Fezile Dabi District
- Lejweleputswa District
- Mangaung Metro
- Thabo Mofutsanyana District
- Xhariep District
Since its inception the Committee has so far worked on the changing of several names geographical areas such as the following:
- Kroonstad to Maokeng
- PetrusSteyn to Mamafubedu
- Universitas Hospital to Albertina Sisulu Academic Hospital
- Bloemfontein International Airport to Braam Fischer International Airport
- Trompsburg Hospital to Albert Nzula Hospital
- The new hospital to be built in Bloemfontein will be named after Dr. Matlhape as Dr. Matlhape Hospital.
- Thabong Arts and Culture Centre to Lejweleputswa Arts and Culture Center
- Zamdela Arts and Culture Centre to Fezile Dabi Arts and Culture Centre
The Committee assisted the Mangaung Metro in the changing of the following street names:
- Maitland Street to Charlotte Maxeke Street
- Andreas Pretorius to Raymond Mhlaba Road
- Currie Avenue to Govan Mbeki Road
- Haldon Road to Walter Sisulu Road
- Eufees Road to Kenneth Kaunda Road
- Ovs Bank Street to Elias Motsoaledi Road
The committee embarked on public education programmes to create awareness on the standardization of geographical names. Such programmes included, for example, a drama competition among Primary Schools on the Standardization of Geographical Names under the theme “Building an inclusive nation through standardization of geographical names”
Contacts
- Head of Secretariat: Jeff Mphomela- 051 410 4753/ 072 532 2145
- Researcher : Priscila Sinto – 051 410 4753
Names of places that are either wrongly spelled, appear in more than one place, names that are offensive or discriminatory and those that are not registered.
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Names of Place that are either wrongly spelled, Appear in more than one place, Names that are offensive or discriminatory and that are not registered.
- Fezile Dabi District
- Lejweleputswa District
- Motheo District
- Thabo Mofutsanyana District
- Xhariep District
Media reports
- Free State names to change, May 2012
- Mangaung residents welcome name changes, May 2012
- Name change hearings slammed, March 2010
- Geographical Names to be changed
- Hearing to Standardize Geographical Names – Programme of the Hearing, February 2009
- Verandering van plek-, straatname bespoedig – Volksblad 1 Mei 2008