Sunshine Coast grapples with proposed name change costs
Changing the names of three towns in the Eastern Cape would cost R157m, Sunshine Coast Tourism has calculated, with some assistance from artificial intelligence.
It would cost about R157m to change the names of the popular tourist destination Port Alfred and the neighbouring towns of Alexandria and Bushman’s River Mouth, said the Sunshine Coast Tourism board.
The Daly Maverick reports that the chairperson Wouter Hensens said that as the official marketing organisation of the Ndlambe Local Municipality, the organisation would focus on the consequences of name changes from a business and tourism perspective, while steering clear of ideological discussions.
‘We therefore present our position in the context of the brand reputation of our area and the predicted economic consequences of potential name changes. We also look at alternatives to make our local identity more inclusive,’ said Hensens.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee has started the process of changing the name of Port Alfred to iCawa or iCoyi, the Kowie River to iQoyi and Alexandria to Nkosi Chungwa or eMnyameni.
However, in a poll conducted by Sunshine Coast Tourism, out of 1 455 respondents, 94% voted against a name change.
Hensens explained that in their AI simulation, they postulated that three towns in the Ndlambe Municipality changed their names: Port Alfred, Bushman’s River Mouth, and Alexandria.
Data from the AI showed that: It would cost the Ndlambe Municipality R3m to change signs, maps and documentation for each of the three towns, resulting in R9m in public expenses; It would cost at least R3m to rebrand the three towns as destinations and it would cost businesses in the three towns R22m to update their names on signage, stationery, websites and marketing materials.
DM notes that he proposed that, as a way to address the cost issue and to create a more inclusive community, the SA Geographical Names Council introduce dual names.
‘Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, Norway, but also SA have implemented this successfully, where two names are officially used to enhance recognisability and celebrate local cultural or indigenous heritage. Examples include Cape Byron/Walgun (Australia), Mount Cook/Aoraki (New Zealand), and Queen Charlotte Island/Haida Gwaii (Canada). Marius Coetzee, the attorney for the Port Alfred Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association, sent a letter to the SAGNC asking it to make public the application for the name changes of Port Alfred, the Kowie River and Alexandria.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
