The Closing date for comments for the proposed street name changes in Durban is Friday 11 May 2007.
City Manager Urges Residents to Submit Comments
eThekwini City Manager, Michael Sutcliffe explains the way in which Council agreed to review the names of streets and buildings in Durban and urges the public to continue providing comments for or against specific name changes.
1. In February, the council agreed on a process to review and finalise names for streets and facilities in our city. It required inviting comments from the public, and the relevant council committee reviewing names received and making a recommendation to council. All political parties represented in council accepted this process and through this, accepted there would be renaming.
2. Adverts were placed in newspapers on 9 March calling on the public to submit proposals. Posters were also placed at Sizakala centres and libraries. The public was encouraged to e-mail, fax, post or hand-deliver proposals to these centres. The closing date for submissions was 30 March. 245 proposals were received.
3. I recommended to the committee that before they consider every proposal received, they publish the proposed names to ensure the public would have an opportunity to air their views on every name under consideration, to allow for greater participation.
4. More than 95% of the objections received to date have objected to the principle of renaming. Given that the council unanimously accepted that some streets would be renamed, there is little point in the public sending in general complaints that they don’t want streets renamed. The council has accepted some streets will be renamed and it is unlikely the council will rescind that decision, so I urge the public to provide specific comment in support, or against, specific renaming suggestions.
5. Some streets have more than one proposed name or one name has been suggested for more than one street or facility.
6. eThekwini has more than 30 000 street names, with more than 4 000 in the former Durban central area. Even if all the proposals were to be accepted by the committee, this would mean less than 1% of the city’s street names would be changed.
People or organisations who have an interest in the proposal are invited to submit comments, suggestions, criticism and approval in writing to the addresses below. As contemplated in the Systems Act Section 21 (4): “any person who cannot write may come during office hours to a place where a staff member of the municipality named in the invitation will assist that person to transcribe his/her comments or representations”. This assistance is available at the Regional/Sizakala Centres of the eThekweni Municipality.
Comments to be sent to : Municipal Manager, 41 Margaret Mncadi Avenue, Durban 4001; OR Email:corporategis@durban.gov.za or Fax : 031 311 4024
The closing date for comments is Friday 11 May 2007.
View the proposed name changes
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