Post-apartheid South Africa is experiencing several changes and the odonyms or street names, are not spared. Street name changing was initiated in 2002 by the African National Congress (ANC) led government. Such changes, in some places, have resulted in public protests and legal challenges, and that offers the background of this study. The purpose of this article is to examine the significance of both street naming and the role played by community members in the process of adopting or rejecting the new names. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken and qualitative research methods were used in which data was collected employing semi-structured interviews. The literature review indicates that the significance of street naming was to address orthographic mistakes and replace apartheid names with those that give formal recognition to place names commonly used by indigenous people. Although the city tried to involve all community members, there were complaints that the process was a top own down approach from the politicians and administrators. In conclusion, the paper notes that street naming has the potential to form cohesion and unity or further divide communities as it may be interpreted as a motive to erase history.

Username
Password