South Africa debates changing name of world-famous Kruger park
South Africa’s world-famous Kruger National Park could be known by a new name if some local politicians get their way.
The vast wildlife reserve, then called Sabi Game Reserve, was renamed in 1926 in honor of Paul Kruger. He was president in the late 19th century of what was known as the Republic of South Africa, part of what is now eastern South Africa.
For Afrikaners, descendants of 17th-century European settlers, Kruger is revered as a hero who led the resistance against British colonialism.
But for the majority of South Africans, he is seen as a relic of the country’s racist past, as he was one of those who drove black Africans from their lands and prevented them from having a say in the direction of the republic.
Many of South Africa’s cities, towns, roads and other major infrastructure have been given new names since the end of the legalized system of racial discrimination, known as apartheid, and the start of the democratic era in 1994. Although sometimes controversial, these decisions have been justified as a way of breaking away from what came before – both apartheid and the colonial era.
But Kruger’s proposed name change not only touches on history, it could also impact the country’s fragile economy.
Tourists flock to the park in their hundreds of thousands each year to view the wildlife it offers. [AFP via Getty Images]
The national park, home to elephants, lions, hippos, leopards and many other animals, attracts almost a million visitors a year and is a jewel of South Africa’s tourism industry.
Some argue that changing the Kruger name could threaten this situation.
Part of the park is in Mpumalanga province and in September, as the country celebrated Heritage Month, representatives of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party presented a proposal to the region’s legislature to change the name of Kruger.
“How can we celebrate our heritage as South Africans when our magnificent national parks are still named after the architect of apartheid Paul Kruger,” EFF representative Rhulani Qhibi said in a moving speech. Although not historically accurate, since apartheid in its legal form was introduced decades after Kruger’s death, the rhetoric reflects how some perceive it.
The EFF has also proposed renaming other key landmarks in the province, including the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.
But in its haste to remove Kruger’s association with the park, the EFF, whose national leader is firebrand MP Julius Malema, has put forward another problematic name: Skukuza.
Skukuza, meaning “one who cleans” in the Tsonga language, was the nickname given to the park’s first warden, James Stevenson-Hamilton, known for driving out poachers and black communities who lived in the park in its early days, among others.
The leader of the EFF in Mpumalanga, Collen Sedibe, was quoted in the South African newspaper Sunday World as admitting the party’s mistake.
“We are still in contact with the land claimants at the Kruger National Park and the people who were staying there because they said Skukuza was not the right name. He was the one who kicked them out of the park,” Sedibe said.
The statue of Paul Kruger in Pretoria has sometimes aroused the anger of demonstrators: it was coated with red paint in 2020 [Gallo Images via Getty Images]
Afrikaner pressure group AfriForum condemned the EFF’s proposal, calling it “cheap politics and evidence that the thirst for political power in the province trumps informed or responsible decision-making”.
The group vowed to legally challenge any attempt to rename the park without due process and blasted the EFF for criticizing its namesake.
“Kruger National Park was created through the vision of Kruger [and] Ignoring Kruger’s contribution to the creation of the country’s most important national park… is opportunistic and spreading blatant lies,” said AfriForum’s Vaal Swamp in reaction to the news.
The motion to change the name was passed by the provincial legislature after receiving support from its largest parties, the nationally ruling African National Congress (ANC) and uMkhonto weSizwe.
Although it is not legally binding because any name change must go through a national process, its critics have warned that if approved it could harm the tourism sector, which contributes almost 9% to the country’s economy.
This could have “serious consequences… it could even dilute the international recognition of this park and of South Africa as a tourist destination that we have built up over so many years”, tourism expert Elmarie Slabbert told the BBC.
There would also be the cost of having to rename the park.
The academic, director of research at North-West University’s school of tourism management, acknowledged “that we need to honor indigenous heritage”.
“But the impact on the economy will be so great that we will have to decide where to spend our money. We have such a high unemployment rate right now that I think that’s where the money should go.”
More than 30% of the working-age population is unemployed – an unemployment rate ranked by the World Bank among the worst of any country – and youth unemployment is even higher.
But economics is not the only basis on which the renaming decisions were made.
The need to address the inequalities of the country’s past was seen as vital.
The Indian Ocean town of Gqeberha was known as Port Elizabeth until 2021. [Getty Images]
For example, the name of former Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, a key figure in the implementation of apartheid, has been removed from many places.
Other changes include the city of Port Elizabeth. Named after the wife of a 19th-century British civil servant, it is now called Gqeberha, the Xhosa word for the river that runs through it. The town of King William, named after William IV, is now called Qonce, also referring to a river.
Johannesburg International Airport, once known as Jan Smuts – after a former prime minister – is now called OR Tambo, in honor of the anti-apartheid leader and former ANC president.
Some cities, such as the capital Pretoria, retained their nicknames, but the local government areas they fall under were renamed.
Many other renaming ideas have been put forward, including changing the name of the seaside town of Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, which commemorates Queen Victoria’s second son. Some have even suggested changing the name of the country to Azania.
Many of these proposals have divided public opinion, and to ensure that changes are not made on a whim, an extensive legal process must be carried out.
It is managed by the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) and begins with an application either by individuals, communities or institutions to the provincial branch of the body.
The proposal is being discussed and could give rise to a public consultation. Once this operation is completed, the name change project is sent to the national office.
If it is deemed to meet “all the requirements”, a recommendation will then be made to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture for a final decision, SAGNC president Dr Nkadimeng Mahosi told the BBC.
“What’s going on here? [in Mpumalanga’s legislature]does not correspond to what the national law says… [and] It’s a political point,” he said.
As a national monument and given that different ministries will have to have a say, Kruger is a unique case, Dr Mahosi added.
There remain several bureaucratic obstacles to overcome before the Kruger name disappears from tourist brochures.
But the debate revealed remaining sensitivities about how to deal with the country’s past and the legacy of those who governed it.
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