Question NW3412 to the Minister of Transport

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22 November 2018 - NW3412

Profile picture: De Freitas, Mr MS

De Freitas, Mr MS to ask the Minister of Transport

(a) Which department or entity is responsible for the naming of the airports, (b) what process is followed in this regard, (c) which airports are due to be renamed, (d) what criteria are used to decide that renaming is required, (e) what airports are in the process of being renamed and (f) what are the timelines in each instance?

Reply:

Airports Company South Africa SOC Limited (ACSA)

(a) According to the South African Geographical Names Council Act (Act No. 118 of 1998) the Minister of Arts and Culture is responsible for the approval of geographical names after receiving recommendations from the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC). The SAGNC is only responsible for geographical features of national concern including, but not limited to, towns/cities, suburbs and any form of human settlement, post offices, stations, highways, airports and government dams. The SAGNC is also responsible for natural landforms like mountains, hills, rivers, streams, bays, headlands and islands. Since airports are administered by National Department of Transport through the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) it is within their mandate to process their renaming through the South African Geographical Names Council

(b)(1) The Minister/Department of Transport through ACSA should initiate consultation in relation to the proposed changes or coordinate any of such process from the public or any stakeholder.

2. A notice in terms of Promotion of Administrative Justice Act of 2000 (where an intention to change the names will be stated clearly and the public will be asked to comment). At the same time there should be consultation with all affected families whose names will be used to give written permission for use of those names and they can also advise on the format in which names should appear on signage (if some of the airports will be named after people). ACSA should also consider staging public hearing around the affected airports, any municipality around each of the affected airports can be an ideal venue and a partner for this exercise.

3. Once all the inputs have been collected the South African Geographical Names Council’s application forms should be completed taking into consideration the inputs from the public and then taken to the relevant Geographical Names Provincial Committees (e.g. if the Airports in Gauteng then Gauteng Provincial Committee, KwaZulu-Natal then KZN Geographical Names Committee, Eastern Cape the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee etc.) for processing.

4. The relevant Provincial Committees will then forward the application forms to the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) after they have checked that the applications comply with the guidelines as stated in the Handbook on Geographical Names. For example, checking if the name is not offensive or a duplication of an existing one etc.

5. The South African Geographical Names Council will then take a decision on the form or forms of names and recommend them for the Minister of Arts and Culture’s approval.

6. Once the names have been approved by the Minister, they will then be published in the Government Gazette which will mean that they are official. The Department of Transport and ACSA will then have to implement the official names as soon as possible. This can take form of events to unveil the names and installing proper signage.at the airports and on relevant roads.

(c) Public notices proposing the renaming of Cape Town International Airport, Port Elizabeth International Airport, Kimberly Airport, and East London Airport were published in May 2018.

(d) All government departments, provincial governments, local authorities, the SA Post Office, property developers and any other body or person may apply for a name change through the South African Geographical Names Council.

(e) Public notices proposing the renaming of Cape Town International Airport, Port Elizabeth International Airport, Kimberly Airport, and East London Airport were published in May 2018.

(f) The process can take up to 4 months from submission of application for name change to the National Geographical Names Council if there are no legal challenges and objections.The renaming process may be further lengthened or delayed depending on the individual circumstace of each application. The Council meets three times per year.

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