Cape Town street renaming underway

The City of Cape Town has received 16 public submissions on the proposal to rename Western Boulevard after Helen Suzman, with the majority giving the suggestion the thumbs up, but roughly a third calling it "political, a waste of resources and a misplaced priority".

The majority of comments in a report tabled during a meeting of the mayoral committee said the name change would be positive and valuable, with the late Suzman "being deserving of such a posthumous honour".

The report said those not in support said the proposal was "negative, due to politics, wastage of resources and misplaced priorities in the face of other needs such as housing, schools, hospitals and the like". Submissions closed on Friday. On September 1 the executive mayor, Patricia de Lille, proposed a motion to rename Western Boulevard after the late Suzman.

As a result, subcouncil 16, at its special meeting on September 30, further resolved to start the process of renaming Western Boulevard, which is situated in Ward 54.

The new name would be Helen Suzman Boulevard.

Council speaker Dirk Smit said De Lille's motion would go through the normal council process.

A report tabled during yesterday's mayoral committee said of the 16 comments received, 11 supported it and five were against it.

De Lille said by the end of this year, Oswald Pirow Drive would be renamed Christiaan Barnard.

Also by the end of this year, part of the inner city would be named after Chief Albert Luthuli.

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