South African president Cyril Ramaphosa says he will make “no apologies” for upsetting people with his efforts to confront South Africa’s historical injustice. In his Heritage Day message on Thursday, the head of state said that the renaming of cities and the removal of offensive monuments would play a big role in building a more united South Africa.
In his address, he rejected the notion that these actions are an attempt to “erase history”, and argued that South African people who have been wronged in the past must be allowed to reclaim their dignity.
“The naming and renaming of towns and cities form part of building a united nation, as well as the erection of new statues and monuments. Monuments glorifying our divisive past should be repositioned and relocated,” he said.
“Any symbol, monument or activity that glorifies racism, that represents our ‘ugly’, has no place in democratic South Africa. The struggle against apartheid was first and foremost aimed at ensuring that all our people should reclaim their dignity, black and white. Restoring dignity is the preoccupation of this administration.”
According to News24, the national audit of monuments has not yet taken place, and no statues have yet been identified for removal and relocation.
Which locations will be renamed?
According to the South African, it’s proposed that East London be renamed KuGompo, and the suggested new name for King William’s Town and Berlin are Qonce and Ntabozuko, respectively. Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has said that airports in both Port Elizabeth and Kimberley are part of a renaming project, and they’re also involved in a bid to rename East London Airport as King Phalo Airport.
The president then went on to comment on the recent controversial TRESemmé advertisement, which led to national outrage. He said that citizens need to be aware of South Africa’s past and their own racial prejudices.
“An offensive hair advertisement that was recently published shows that we still have a long way to go,” Ramaphosa said.
“Building a united nation means we must be aware of and check our own acts of racism and prejudice continuously.”
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