By Nangamso Mabindla
31 July2008

MDANTSANE will soon have proper house numbering and street names, following the launch of a naming project for the township at its Sisa Dukashe Stadium on Wednesday, 30 July.

As part of the project, neighbourhoods will be renamed and streets will be given names.

It is part of the Mdantsane Urban Renewal Programme (MURP), which aims to change the face of the township and turn it into an economic hub. However, before MURP, a City initiative, can achieve its goals it needs to improve the area’s identity.

At present, Mdantsane’s urban areas are known as NUs 1 to 17 and as wards. NU stands for the racially offensive Native Units. Most streets in the township do not have names; and there is no signage marking those that do have names. Houses are numbered in numerical order for each zone - and as a result some houses share the same number.

Speaking at the launch, the MURP portfolio head, Luntu Bobo, said the project would ensure that the neighbourhoods would have new names with which people could identify.

“We decided to launch this project and inform the people of Mdantsane. We will be going to all wards so that there is maximum participation,” Bobo said.

People would be asked to suggest and debate the new names. “You can use struggle heroes from different parties, boxers or any other hero that comes from Mdantsane. But we want the process to be peaceful; we don’t want people to fight over whose name should be used. This is your project, you need to take ownership of it and ensure that it’s a success.”

It would cost the municipality about R500 000 and consultations would last for about six months.

Mdantsane community member and businessman, Bhonga Gwili, thanked the municipality for involving residents.

“I am happy that the council decided to call all of us - businesses, the taxi [industry] and the members of the community - and involve us in the process. Mdantsane will now be like other suburbs; it will have street names and our neighbourhoods will have proper names. We are very happy,” he said.