By Nangamso Mabindla

One of the spin-offs of the Mdantsane Urban Renewal Programme, unveiled to township residents last week, is that the racially offensive zone designations "NU" would soon disappear.

Sections of the sprawling township are numbered from NU1 to NU17 and it was these labels that were to be removed. According to Buffalo City Executive Sindisile Maclean the term NU, which stands for Native Unit, is "offensive and unacceptable" and had to be dropped.

The mayor has already set in motion the process of renaming Mdantsane's zones.

Councillor Maclean added his office had already contacted the chairperson of the Provincial Geographic Names Committee, Fumanekile Dyubhele, and the director in the Department of Sports Art and Culture, Similo Grootboom, about the procedure.

"This process will be a first for the country," Councillor Maclean said, adding that other areas such as Motherwell in the Nelson Mandela Metropole and townships in the Western Cape had the designation "Native Yard".

Mayoral advisor, Mathew Mooneiya, said the name change was within the municipality's competency and the next step was to apply to the National Geographic Names Committee for approval.

Councillor Maclean said he was surprised at how few people knew what NU stood for. "When I announced the name changes at the urban renewal launch last week, I was surprised by the reaction. It said to me that people did not know really what NU stood for," the mayor said.

"But, changing the names will emancipate the people from mental slavery," he added.

Grootboom added he could not wait for the day when the children of Mdantsane would identify their zones with pride.