Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance can confirm that the motion in the Mpumalanga Legislature to change the names of the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, and the Kruger National Park, is nothing more than political posturing and cannot have legally binding effect.
The motion was brought by EFF and supported by the MK and ANC parties in the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature – with a crude misunderstanding of legal process to name or rename geographical features of South Africa. No Provincial Legislature can do so, or could even start such a process.
The motion is nothing more than an opinion and has no legal force or effect.
The fact that it is of no legal effect is a very good thing, because changing the name of South Africa’s most attractive and defining tourism drawcard, would wipe out decades of tourism goodwill, and tourist name-recognition for the National Park. This international reputation is what makes the Park a defining attraction for tourists into South Africa who bring with them millions of dollars, euros, yen, yuan, pounds among hundreds of others, into South Africa to grow our economy and create more jobs.
Our tourism draw, based on the international standing of our attractions, is essential for our economy – and therefore any political party that tries to destabilize the tourism sector must be committing publicly to destroy jobs and ruin livelihoods.
Every foreign and local tourist to the Kruger National Park spends money in a host of associated businesses such as transfers, accommodation, car hire, local restaurants, guides, drivers, souvenirs, and killing these small businesses will leave thousands jobless and without income. This is what the ANC, EFF and MK would do.
This is precisely the type of “Doomsday Coalition” politics against which the DA has committed to fight, and which was an essential motivation for us to be part of the GNU – to keep the EFF and MK out.
The operational costs of such name changes would also cost the local, provincial, and national governments millions of rands. Every change from road signs, to rebranding, to maps, websites, uniforms, and vehicles – all come at enormous cost from taxpayer money that South Africa cannot afford.
The DA rejects the efforts of the EFF, MK and ANC to destroy the tourism economy of the Kruger National Park, and the DA calls for an all hands on deck approach to protect our economy from those who would sacrifice it for politics.
The DA believes that retrospective name changes waste millions of rands and do not build unity in South Africa. Unless geographical names are very hurtful or otherwise indisputably offensive, existing names should be retained.
The law requires that name changes follow a national process, including the South African Geographical Names Council because this is the name of a National Park, and because it spans more than just Mpumalanga, the legislature for that Province does not have jurisdiction for this process. Even if such a name change made its way to the final approval by the Minister, it is very fortunate that the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries is a DA Minister, Dr. Dion George.
This is a very unsurprising legal mistake by the EFF, ANC, and MK parties.
Regards
Willie Aucamp MP
DA National Spokesperson