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The Citizen
a day ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Proposal to change name of South Africa to Republic of Azania
The ATM, which hopes to table the proposal in parliament, argues that South Africa is a colonial label imposed by the British and the Boers. The Republic of Azania is what South Africa could be called, following a proposal by a political party to change the country's name. The African Transformation Movement (ATM) and other political parties have opened a debate about changing South Africa's name to the Republic of Azania. Azania The ATM, which hopes to table the proposal in parliament, argues that South Africa is a colonial label imposed by the British and the Boers. ATM leader Vuyo Zungula said the name change is about reclaiming identity and restoring heritage. 'South Africa is still a colonised name because before 1652, we were not South Africans. The name South Africa came as a result of the British and the Boers coming to club together and forming what is called the Union of South Africa. 'They are working together for the oppression of the indigenous people… We must not be conditioned to subscribe to a colonial identity given to us by colonisers and oppressors,' Zungula said. ALSO READ: EFF wants SA renamed Azania, says Shivambu 'Renaming SA necessary' Zungula believes that renaming the country is a necessary step toward reclaiming national pride and restoring cultural heritage. 'Other countries have done it. Take South West Africa, for example. It is now Namibia. We should not have to cling to a name given to us by colonisers.' 'No success' North West University professor and political analyst Andre Duvenhage said the name change has no prospects of success. 'It's definitely not going to be accepted easily. You will need a two-thirds majority, maybe six of the nine provinces as well, and it will come with a huge cost on all levels. 'Think about it, we need to change all the ID documents, all the driver's licenses, all the passports, just to mention literally the tip of the iceberg, so I think it is controversial, each chance of success? Not very strong,' Duvenhage said. ALSO READ: WATCH: Joburg mayor gives update on Sandton Drive rename Why Azania? Duvenhage said the concept of Azania is associated with East Africa, specifically the dry, arid lands of countries like Somalia and parts of Kenya. 'It was also picked up in the literature of the Roman Empire, as well as the Arab literature. I think in Jewish it has a link to the land of God, but it was picked up in the South African context within the black consciousness context. 'It is seen as a land of the Black people. And taking this as your point of departure, it's basically an attempt to get rid of the colonial heritage. It's part of the process that is well known in South Africa, that of name changes, you raising the colonial history, and so it's coming from a radical background,' Duvenhage said. PAC Duvenhage said the proposal to rename South Africa to the Republic of Azania also stems from the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) that South Africa should be renamed 'Azania'. 'It was also named by the PAC, so it is an established name in the South African context, but without any doubt it is very exclusive and it's excluding colonial, slash, in this case white people, and I cannot see this as an attempt to bring together South Africans'. Political climate Duvenhage said the ATM's proposal is also part of the current political climate in the country. 'I think it is also part of the climate we are in at the moment, a climate where we know that we need change. Changes are on the cards, we saw the polarisation within the government of national unity, the so-called national dialogue that needs to kick off, so it seems as if the political process is opening, 'But I'm also picking up that politicians are putting up a flyer, to test the political winds of change and see how people will react to this,' Duvenhage said. While the name South Africa is descriptive of a geographic location, the name gives a strong cultural, political, and historical connection that reminds citizens of different epochs in the country's history and how it interacted with other countries. NOW READ: Former SA deputy president David Mabuza has died
The Citizen
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Drivers licence machine fixed, but backlog stands at nearly 800 000
The current licence card printing machine is 26 years old and has experienced almost 160 breakdowns. Thousands of motorists across the country are currently driving with expired licences. Image: File/ Pretoria Rekord There is some good news for thousands of South African motorists across the country who are currently driving with expired licences. This comes after the Department of Transport (DoT) on Thursday confirmed that the driving license card printing machine has been fixed and operations have resumed. South Africa's only driver's licence card printer has been plagued by breakdowns. The machine has been out of order since January, creating a massive backlog in driver's licences. Few to no cards have been issued since the start of the year. The current licence card printing machine is 26 years old and has experienced almost 160 breakdowns, which have become more frequent. Backlog It has led to another problem of a backlog of 747 748 outstanding cards to be printed. According to the Transport Department, the backlog breakdown per province as of 02 May 2025 is: Gauteng: 252 745 KwaZulu-Natal: (KZN) 115 020 Western Cape: 108 402 Mpumalanga: 66 833 Limpopo: 61 769 Eastern Cape: 55 393 North West: 39 983 Free State: 33 741 Northern Cape: 13 862 ALSO READ: Driver's licence expired while printing machine is broken? Here's what you should do Extended hours Transport Department spokesperson Collen Msibi said officials will be working overtime to clear the backlog. 'Working hours for staff members at the Driving License Card Agency, which is an entity of the Department, will be extended to ensure the reduction of the backlog. 'With the current catch-up plan, updates on the backlog reduction will be provided as and when significant progress is made. However, the backlog reduction is also dependent on the number of orders being received on a daily basis,' Msibi said. ALSO READ: I renewed my driving licence, it was a breeze and stress-free Drivers licence validity Earlier this month, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenhage told The Citizen they had asked Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to extend the validity of driver's licences to 10 years. He said this was introduced in the past, but was reversed for no valid reason. 'This is a norm around the country, and this is something that was introduced by Dipuo Peters, the minister of transport, in 2013, and for some strange reason, very quietly, they undid that decision, and it was the right decision at the time. They've never explained why they reversed that decision.' Duvenhage added that the country needs to use technology for driver's licences. 'We need to be able to integrate our driver's licences with a virtual driver's licence on your phone, linked to your ID card. There are so many things we can do,' Duvenhage said. ALSO READ: R400m driving licence tender takes wrong turn
