South Africa is seeing another surge in proposals to rename towns, landmarks and public features, with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture confirming that more than a hundred requests have landed on its desk since the start of the previous financial year.
Minister Gayton McKenzie, answering questions in Parliament, revealed that 104 applications have been received across the 2024/25 year and in the early months of 2025/26.
The majority of these submissions continue to originate from KwaZulu-Natal, which has remained the country's most active province in renaming efforts. Out of 53 applications filed in the 2024/25 financial year, 46 were from KZN alone, while the Eastern Cape accounted for four. Limpopo followed with two requests and Gauteng submitted one, as per Business Tech .