Nelspruit, the closest town to Ressano Garcia border in Mozambique, and Machadodorp, a village named in the century XIX with the name of a Portuguese, are some of the cities and towns in South Africa that have been renamed by decree.
Nelpsruit, known by many Mozambicans as a shopping destination or for medical appointments, is now called Mbombela. Machadodorp, which bore the name of the Portuguese engineer Joaquim Machado, who conducted the survey of the area before the construction of the railway to Mozambique, in 1894, is now official called eNtokozewni.
Other places in the same province (Mpumalanga), which were re-baptized by decree signed by the Minister of Arts and Culture, Lulu Xingwana, are Belfast, now called eMakhazeni and Waterval Boven, renamed Emgwenya.
Since taking office in 1994, the African National Congress, supported by the provincial and local government, has changed hundreds of names of South African places, from highways and airports to public buildings, despite the protests from organizations and associations of Afrikaners and white South Africans, who accuse the ruling party from wanting to completely eliminate its historical heritage.
Some major cities whose names have been changed are Port Elizabeth (for Nelson Mandela Bay), Bloemfontein (to Mangaung) and Durban (to eThekwini), while others, such as capital, Pretoria, keep the old name as a reference to the center of city.
In all cases the authorities allow cities and towns to retain the former name between the transitional period of about three years.
Mbombela is a siSwati name meaning "a lot of people in a small space". Mbombela was the name of the township that bordered Nelspruit on the north-east before its residents were forcefully relocated in the late 1960s and early 1970s to the township of Kanyamazane a couple of kilometres east of Nelspruit.
FONTE: www.clubofmozambique.com
Nelpsruit, known by many Mozambicans as a shopping destination or for medical appointments, is now called Mbombela. Machadodorp, which bore the name of the Portuguese engineer Joaquim Machado, who conducted the survey of the area before the construction of the railway to Mozambique, in 1894, is now official called eNtokozewni.
Other places in the same province (Mpumalanga), which were re-baptized by decree signed by the Minister of Arts and Culture, Lulu Xingwana, are Belfast, now called eMakhazeni and Waterval Boven, renamed Emgwenya.
Since taking office in 1994, the African National Congress, supported by the provincial and local government, has changed hundreds of names of South African places, from highways and airports to public buildings, despite the protests from organizations and associations of Afrikaners and white South Africans, who accuse the ruling party from wanting to completely eliminate its historical heritage.
Some major cities whose names have been changed are Port Elizabeth (for Nelson Mandela Bay), Bloemfontein (to Mangaung) and Durban (to eThekwini), while others, such as capital, Pretoria, keep the old name as a reference to the center of city.
In all cases the authorities allow cities and towns to retain the former name between the transitional period of about three years.
Mbombela is a siSwati name meaning "a lot of people in a small space". Mbombela was the name of the township that bordered Nelspruit on the north-east before its residents were forcefully relocated in the late 1960s and early 1970s to the township of Kanyamazane a couple of kilometres east of Nelspruit.
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