By REGINALD KANYANE
10 April 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) has requested the Northern Cape MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Mangaliso Matika, to investigate the legality of a series of provincial name changes over the past ten years, given the absence of a functional Provincial Geographic Name Change Committee (PGNC) since 2015. The DA said in response to its concerns raised during the 2024/2025 Annual Performance Plan presentation, the department has revealed that the last PGNC term started in 2011 and was extended for another year at the end of 2014.
The DA provincial spokesperson for Sport, Arts and Culture, Reinette Liebenberg, who is also a Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) said there has been no PGNC since 2015, as the department claims that it is difficult to establish the necessary requirements due to the process being coordinated by the office of the MEC. Liebenberg said the DA is concerned that the department may have spent millions on illegally changing geographical names in the province.
“We have warned the department about this since 2022, when we first found out that the Northern Cape is the only province without a functional PGNC in place.
“Matika now has a duty to probe the legality of the name changes and to hold the department accountable for contravening the South African Geographical Names Council Act 1998 (Act 118 of 1998),” she said.
Liebenberg further said he must also explain what happened to the filling of the advertised vacancies for board members in 2023, following a commitment by former MEC, Desery Fienies, that positions for board members would be advertised. She added that the DA will further submit questions to determine exactly which names were changed by the department since 2015, how much was spent on the name changes and whether public participation was fairly instituted.
“Name changes must not come at an unwarranted cost to the province,” said Liebenberg.
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