Concourt ruling no licence to honour only struggle heroes

22 July 2016 - 09:59 By The Times Editorial

The decision by the Constitutional Court that the City of Tshwane can remove about 25 apartheid-era street names in Pretoria will test our maturity as a nation.

This ruling will be hailed by some sections of society and equally condemned by those who sought to preserve their legacy.What is important to note is that South Africa is still in transition and the court's decision might be reversed years from now when a new government takes over and the mood of the populace has changed.That is why we have always argued that we should find a balance in how we name and honour our heroes.Failure to find a middle road means we run the risk of engaging in the same exercise later down the road.Since the highest court has pronounced, it is important that the renaming of the streets in Pretoria not celebrate our achievements but look into the future.There is nothing wrong in naming our streets after politicians, but there is everything wrong if only one section of politicians is honoured.But it is important that the majority in this country have a sense of belonging.For years street names have reflected the history and heroes of Afrikaner power. It treated other sections of society as visitors who had no right to national symbols.Judge Mogoeng Mogoeng is right to remind us all that no one has a right to the old street names, no matter how they treasure them.The judge told AfriForum, the organisation that brought the case to court demanding that apartheid-era names remain, that its action was "divisive, somewhat selfish and does not seem to have much regard for the centuries-old deprivation of 'a sense of place and a sense of belonging' black people have had to endure".We should not only change the divisive names but be inclusive in our approach.It would be folly for the ruling party to take this ruling as a licence to paint the town with the names of its own struggle heroes...

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