The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture has gazetted new names for towns and geographical places.
In the Eastern Cape Fort Beaufort will now be called KwaMaqoma and Somerset East will change to KwaNojoli. The department is also changing the name of Brooksnek village to Ben Mbizweni.
The department has previously said that the transformation of the naming landscape in South Africa is ‘a critical component of the heritage landscape as a whole’.
Former Sport, Arts and Culture minister Nathi Mthethwa (who’s been replaced by Zizi Kodwa) said that, despite the negative reaction name changes get, they are part of expressing South Africa’s heritage, and it remains a core strategy within the department.
‘This is our own way as a sector in bringing meaning to freedom. In ensuring that the many unearthed and untold stories are given the platform through the national oral history project that we support.
‘Through the geographical names project, we have also deliberately set the country on a path towards healing by changing names of towns and cities which have unsavoury colonial and apartheid connotations. In doing so, we have always sought to consult widely in ensuring that the affected communities are part of the name-change process’, he said.
The last two years saw a host of significant name changes take place, including new names for Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), Cradock (now Nxuba) and Uitenhage (Kariega).
New features have been registered including rivers, hills, cliffs and forests. These are in KwaZulu Natal:
| Old name | New name | Province | Feature |
| Fort Beaufort | KwaMaqoma | Eastern Cape | Town |
| Somerset East | KwaNojoli | Eastern Cape | Town |
| Brooksnek | Ben Mbizweni | Eastern Cape | Village |
| – | uNobanda | KwaZulu Natal | Hill |
| – | uVelumemeze | KwaZulu Natal | Hill |
| – | eMasundwini | KwaZulu Natal | Forest |
| – | uMthavuna | KwaZulu Natal | River |
| – | iDikwe | KwaZulu Natal | River |
| – | uNomahlaya | KwaZulu Natal | River |
| – | iNgxangxazi | KwaZulu Natal | Cliff |