"Don't hurt white people"

RENAMING A STREET MUST NOT BE DONE OUT OF REVENGE, PARLY HEARS

- Itumeleng Mafisa

Street names should not be changed to "hurt white people", says Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie, as the debate on whether to rename Sandton Drive rages on.

There have been a number of debates on which street names to change and which to leave as is. The ANC and the DA are squaring up in Johannesburg over whether or not to change Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive.

Khaled is a former Palestinian militant and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. She is seen as a symbol of resistance and opposition against Western forces.

McKenzie told parliament yesterday street names should not be changed out of malice or revenge against white people.

He was reacting to a complaint from a member of the DA about unlawful name changes in the Free State.

“You must be honest, you must not do it out revenge, you must not want to hurt people,” he said. McKenzie said he had come across a matter where a street name was about to be changed without public consultation.