Signs of the times

According to a report in yesterday’s Beeld newspaper, dated 20 October 2009, the changing of Nelspruit to Mbombela even caught the town’s mayor totally off guard. The announcement was published on Friday in the Government Gazette, despite an agreement made last year with FIFA that Nelspruit’s name would not change until after the 2010 soccer World Cup. Is it not amazing how municipal service delivery has become non-existent in most of these towns, but yet these baboons still manage to sneak crucial paperwork through the system, with no regard whatsoever to the consequences or the enormous expense involved?

Nelspruit name change to be effected after 2010 World Cup

The capital of Mpumalanga (old eastern Transvaal), Nelspruit, will not change to its new name Mbombela until after the 2010 soccer World Cup. Nelspruit is one of the host cities of the World Cup and City Manager Ronnie Moyo says there will be confusion if the city is also referred to as Mbombela during the soccer tournament.

Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana announced the name change in Friday's Government Gazette. Last week the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga criticised Xingwana's approval of 42 name changes which appeared in the Gazette, of which 29 of the 42 name changes are in Mpumalanga.

Towns with new names include Belfast, Machadodorp, Waterval Boven and Nelspruit. DA leader in Mpumalanga Anthony Benadie said his party firmly believes that the whole exercise was a waste of money. Benadie said: "The silly part of it is that the town of Belfast is now called Emakhazeni, and that the entire municipality including three other geographical towns is also called Emakhazeni, so it is going to cause a lot of confusion.”

Benadie also lamented that it was puzzling that after years of no action in the province, the ruling African National Congress decided on name changes to create an illusion of service delivery.

Source: SABC News

OLD --- NEW
Nelspruit --- Mbombela
Belfast --- eMakhazeni
Machadodorp --- eNtokozweni
Waterval-Boven --- Emgwena
Steynsdorp --- eMlondozi
Enkeldoorn --- Loratong
Pankop --- Masobye
Wolwekraal --- Borolo

Genoeg --- eNough! ! !

See also:
Limpopo Province – A Heritage Under Siege!