DADA MORERO SAVES THE DAY, FOR NOW

JOHANNESBURG mayor Dad "Dada" Morero is applying "diplomatic sensitivity" to the proposed name change that would turn Sandton Drive into Leila Khaled Drive.

- PULE MAKGALE

The US, which had declared Khaled, a Palestinian freedom fighter, as a terrorist, has threatened to shut down its consulate in Sandton if the street name was changed.

Morero has called for further engagement on the name change, an initiative the ANC began discussing in 2018. The Cato Institute, a respected American think-tank, has described Morero as "constructive and not populist at the time of a looming crisis".

The consulate serves as an important diplomatic mission for bilateral relations between the US and South Africa. According to analysts, the closure of the consulate will create a gap in communication between Trade and Investment, Cultural and Educational Exchange.