Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) objects to the ill-conceived procedurally irregular proposal to change the names of Port Alfred and Alexandria and will take the matter up in national government.
Renaming Port Alfred, which is an international tourism hub, and Alexandria to iCoyi/iQoyi/iCawa and Nkosi Chungwa/eMnyameni, respectively, would deal a devastating blow to the tourism brand and economy of these towns.
There are also very clear national guidelines attached to name change processes, and these have already been violated. Firstly, the time frame for giving notice of a stakeholder consultation fell far short of the 21-day notice period and secondly, the advertisement for said engagement was not circulated in any media publication or on any public broadcasting platform.
I have written to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, to urgently request him to set aside the name change application.
In a province where economic growth peaked at a paltry 0,1% in the first quarter of 2025, and in which the agriculture and motor industries stand to be heavily punished by recently introduced export tariffs, the jobs bloodbath in the Eastern Cape is set to worsen.
One of the few remaining tools left to grow the Eastern Cape economy is to promote and expand both domestic and international tourism to our shores. The Provincial government and our tourism agencies, rate payer associations and private sector are working incredibly hard to attract tourists to our shores, because tourism creates jobs.
Research indicates clearly that town and city name changes cause irreparable harm to their tourism brand. Income from tourists contributes significantly to the local government fiscus and sustainable tourism creates sustainable jobs in the hospitality sector.
Port Alfred, Kenton-on-Sea, and Alexandria have also long struggled with massive housing backlogs, poor road infrastructure, and water availability issues, which the Ndlambe Municipality seems powerless to address. It is inconceivable that any government department would spend millions of rands on name changes when the local government cannot even fulfil its mandate of delivering basic services. That money must be ringfenced for service delivery, nothing else.
Our shrinking tax base requires that we spend money prudently on the basic services that will allow all our residents to live meaningful lives with dignity. It is only jobs and good basic services, not name changes, that can make this a reality.
Regards
Jane Cowley MPL
DA Frontier Constituency Leader