I'm doing a project on name change in south africa so I'd like to know why the name pretoria was changed to tshwane and why did they change it to tshwane??? and why Pietersburg was changed to polokwane and why did they change it to polokwane
A recommendation that the name of South Africa’s capital be changed from Pretoria to Tshwane has been unanimously approved. The Geographic Names Council took four hours to back the change. Tshwane is the name of a pre-colonial local chief and means “we are the same”. Supporters of the change say the switch will underscore South Africa’s break with apartheid in 1994.
Changing from an highly established, pronouncable name to a new, unpronounceable one didn’t work out so well for the Artist Once Again Known as Prince. Perhaps Pretoria/Tshwane will work out better.
Of course, the main context in which the name “Pretoria” occurs to me is the song “Marching to Pretoria.” One wonders whether it’ll change to “Marching to Tschwane” or become a historical oddity.
To understand why the name Pretoria was changed to Tshwane and Pietersburg was changed to Polokwane, we need to look at the process of name changes in South Africa.
In the years following the end of apartheid, the South African government embarked on a project to reclaim and restore the indigenous names of places that were given European names during colonial times. This process was driven by the desire to acknowledge and respect the cultural heritage and languages of the indigenous people of South Africa.
Specifically, in the case of Pretoria, the name change to Tshwane was proposed to honor the Tswana people who originally settled in the area. Tshwane is the Setswana name for the Apies River, which flows through what is now Pretoria. The city's original name was Pretoria, named after an influential Boer leader, Andries Pretorius. The name change was seen as a step towards inclusivity and embracing the diverse cultural heritage of the region.
Similarly, the name change from Pietersburg to Polokwane was a result of the same naming project. Pietersburg was named after Voortrekker leader Petrus Jacobus Joubert. The new name, Polokwane, comes from the indigenous Northern Sotho language, with "polo" meaning "to destroy" and "kwane" meaning "to be hidden." Polokwane is thus seen as a symbol of overcoming the hidden destruction caused by apartheid and recognizing the cultural significance of the area to the indigenous population.
It's important to note that name changes can be contentious, and there may be differing opinions and perspectives on them. The aim of the name changes in South Africa was to promote inclusivity and acknowledge the diverse history of the country, while also celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people.