The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) in the Eastern Cape strongly objects to the proposed name change of Port Alfred to iCawa or iCoyi, as well as the renaming of the Kowie River to iQoyi.
These changes, proposed by the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee, pose a significant risk to the local economy, tourism and established community identity.
In a letter to the Speaker of the Ndlambe Local Municipality, Mr Andile Marasi, and the chairperson of the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee, Mr Christian Martin, the Freedom Front Plus emphasised that while the party supports the recognition of indigenous heritage, it should not be at the expense of an established tourism sector developed over decades.
Port Alfred and the Kowie River are locally and internationally renowned tourism destinations. A name change could undo years of marketing and investment in one fell swoop.
Renaming the town and river would compel small businesses, tourism operators and the Municipality to incur costs they cannot afford. It could, furthermore, confuse and deter tourists, directly impacting local jobs and income.
The party proposes that the focus should rather be on addressing urgent issues such as water shortages, poor road infrastructure, unemployment, housing shortages and exorbitant tariffs.
Millions of rands cannot be spent on name changes while basic service delivery is collapsing.
A survey by Sunshine Coast Tourism indicates that 93% of residents oppose the name change. The majority of residents’ wishes should be considered and the community’s obvious opposition to the name change should be the deciding factor.
As an alternative, historical indigenous names could be recognised through dual naming or heritage plaques, thereby preserving both indigenous culture and the established tourism identity.
The Freedom Front Plus will attend the public meeting on this matter on 10 September to verbally object to the proposed name change, and has requested that a speaking slot be reserved for the record.
