Johannesburg street renaming: reshaping the city’s identity

JOHANNESBURG'S street renaming drive is reshaping the city’s identity, replacing apartheid-era legacies with names that celebrate black and female figures, but gaps in inclusivity remain.

- MASABATA MKWANANZI

According to the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO), street names were more than just geographic markers; they symbolised power and dominance, reinforcing a narrative that sidelined the contributions of women and black people in South Africa’s history and culture.

"Following the country's political freedom, governments at municipal, provincial and national levels have renamed many streets and public places in an effort to decolonise urban space and reflect a post-apartheid society."

The GCRO noted that in June 2023, it mapped the gender and racial composition of Pretoria/Tshwane's renamed streets.

In October, the focus shifts to Johannesburg, where it will plot the racial and gender makeup of renamed streets and reflect on the symbolic role of the City's renaming initiatives.

The analysis draws on a partial database compiled from Johannesburg Metropolitan Council resolutions, mapped using updated spatial data from Open-StreetMaps.