Name changes have been announced and published in a government gazette for the cities, towns, and airports in the Eastern Cape by Arts and Culture minister Nathi Mthetwa
These name changes are for the Eastern Cape, most notably Port Elizabeth which will be known as Gqeberha and the Port Elizabeth International Airport is renamed to the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport. Included in the gazette are a number of spelling corrections for existing geographical names as well as official registrations of new names.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has however said that they "would oppose the ‘frivolous’ name changes in the Buffalo City Metropolitan."
“Renaming these Buffalo City Metro towns and the airport will not increase tourism, boost investment, improve service delivery, create employment or eradicate the problems residents face on a daily basis,” said the DA’s Chantel King.
“Instead of spending millions on new signage, the money should be used to improve the lives of the people of the Buffalo City Metro.”
Below is a summary of the more notable changes
| Old name | New name | Area | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Elizabeth International Airport | Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport | Nelson Mandela Bay | International airport |
| Port Elizabeth | Gqeberha | Nelson Mandela Bay | City |
| Uitenhage | Kariega | Nelson Mandela Bay | City |
| East London Airport | King Phalo Airport | Buffalo City | Airport |
| Berlin | Ntabozuko | Buffalo City | Town |
| MaClear Town | Nqanqarhu | Buffalo City | Town |
| King William’s Town | Qonce | Buffalo City | Town |
