On Monday, 26 January 2026, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Honourable Mr Gayton McKenzie, approved twenty-one (21) geographical name changes and name registrations from the Eastern Cape (EC) and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provinces, following recommendations from the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC).
These approvals reflect the Department’s ongoing commitment to transforming South Africa’s naming landscape, promoting social cohesion, and recognising the country’s diverse heritage.
The mission of the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) is to standardise geographical names in South Africa and, in doing so, to redress, correct and transform the geographical naming system in order to advance restorative justice, including addressing the colonial and apartheid-era naming legacy by ensuring that geographical names reflect indigenous languages, cultural heritage and natural heritage work that is central to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s (DSAC’s) objective of fostering a shared, inclusive national identity and sense of belonging.
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 government’s commitment to implementing the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) recommendations by to restoring dignity and correcting historical imbalances.
It is worth noting that these names are currently in the process of being officially gazetted in the Government Gazette. The Department will share the full list of the twenty-one (21) approved names as soon as they are published in the Gazette.
Enquiries:
Head of Communication and Marketing
Zimasa Velaphi
Cell: 072 172 8925
E-mail: ZimasaV@dsac.gov.za
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