Hot debate as Zungula calls for SA to be remaned Azania

THE African Transformation Movement (ATM) has announced its intention to table a proposal before Parliament and the Constitutional Review Committee to rename South Africa as the Republic of Azania.

- YASMINE JACOBS [e-mail]

According to the party, the move is a part of a broader project of national decolonisation.

The proposal has sparked debate across political, public and social media spheres.

ATM president and parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula argues that the name South Africa is a colonial imposition, created through the Union of South Africa in 1910 by the British and the Boers. “Before 1652, we were not South Africans,” he said.

“The name comes from a colonial structure created to further the oppression of indigenous people. It is time we reclaim our identity.”

Zungula went further to draw comparisons with other postcolonial nations - such as Namibia (formerly South West Africa) - that changed colonial-era names to reflect local history and pride.

However, not all support the proposal.

Political analyst Kenneth Mokgatlhe has publicly criticised the proposed name change, describing it as largely symbolic and unnecessary.