Just as tension builds for Port Alfred to hear whether it has been named small town of the year for 2025, the business and tourism community faces an existential curveball.
Ndlambe’s business and tourism leadership has sounded the alarm about a move to change the names of Alexandria, Port Alfred, and the Kowie River.
The proposed name changes are: Port Alfred to iCoyi or iCawa; the Kowie River to iQoyi; and Alexandria to Nkosi Chungwa or Emnyameni.
A letter from the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee’s (ECPGNC) secretariat head, Mark Mandita, addressed to Ndlambe Local Municipality stakeholders and shared by the municipality’s committees department, invites stakeholders to a consultation on Wednesday in the Port Alfred Civic Centre (Memorial Hall).
“ECPGNC has received applications to standardise some geographical features in the Ndlambe Local Municipality.
“It is against this backdrop that you are cordially invited to the Ndlambe Local Municipality stakeholders’ consultation meeting,” Mandita writes in a letter dated July 24.
The ECPGNC is a body established by the MEC for sport, recreation, arts & culture.
By way of explaining its mandate, Mandita writes: “The ECPGNC is a committee established in terms of Section 2[2][a] of the SAGNC Act 118 of 1998.
“Its major responsibility is to facilitate the transformation and standardisation of geographical names and ensure the implementation of standardised geographical names in the province, as part of the country’s transformation agenda.”
The ECPGNC processes applications from any group or individual who applies for the name of a place to be changed.
The provincial committee’s website states that upon receipt of an application, a name is subjected for research, a stakeholder consultation in municipalities is convened, with public hearings with communities directly affected being conducted, before the ECPGNC submits recommendations to the SA Geographic Names Council (SAGNC).
Constituted by the minister of sport, recreation, arts & culture, the council comprises experts in place names, official languages and cultural history, as well as one representative from each province and representatives of the Chief Directorate: National Geospatial Information, the SA Post Office and the Pan SA Language Board.
The council establishes renaming policies and recommends standardised names to the minister for approval.
If they are approved, it publishes them in the Gazette and on the SA Geographical Names Database.
Some of the name changes in the Eastern Cape in recent years have included Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), Kariega (Uitenhage), Makhanda (Grahamstown), KwaMaqoma (Fort Beaufort), Nxuba (Cradock), Komani (Queenstown) and Qonce (King William’s Town).
But Ndlambe’s tourism and business leadership fear a name change could undermine years of effort to build the local brand.
In a media statement, Sunshine Coast Tourism chair Wouter Hensens, Port Alfred Business Forum chair Clinton Millard, and Kenton Boesmans Chamber of Business and Tourism head Justin Wilmot warn that renaming or altering established geographical names has the potential to undo years of investment and work in building awareness, loyalty, and positive associations among travellers to the Sunshine Coast area.
“The possible disruption to our brand equity, tourism marketing strategies, and the economic wellbeing of the region’s communities cannot be understated,” they said in the statement dated July 29.
“We recognise the importance of transformation and inclusivity in South Africa’s heritage landscape.
“However, we strongly believe that any process to review or rename our region’s geographical features must be consultative, transparent, and carefully balance historical legacies with the need to protect the economic and tourism interests tied to these names.
“As the official destination marketing organisation for the Sunshine Coast, our geographical names are not mere labels — they are at the heart of our brand identity.
“For many years, names such as Port Alfred, Kenton-on-Sea, Alexandria, and others have become synonymous with the diverse experiences, rich history, and natural beauty that draw both local and international visitors to our shores.”
Sunshine Coast Tourism assured their stakeholders that they would be actively representing their concerns and interests “including local businesses, tourism operators, residents, and visitors” at the upcoming consultation.
“We urge the ECPGNC and Ndlambe Local Municipality to work collaboratively with us to ensure that any decisions made are in the best long-term interests of tourism growth, community identity, and regional prosperity.
“We invite all interested stakeholders to share their views with our office ahead of the meeting, so we can present a unified, constructive position that reflects our shared commitment to both heritage and economic sustainability.”
Port Alfred will know this Sunday night whether it is the KykNET Kwêla Dorp van die Jaar.
A concerted campaign to get it over the line saw a massive investment in time, marketing expertise and community good will to garner enough SMS votes to put the Sunshine Coast town in the spotlight.
On the line are valuable marketing, as well as funding for specific community developments.
There is no indication that any of this would be under threat should a name-change go through, and there is no link between the two developments other than the timing.
Talk of the Town
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