Windhoek?! Rather make that Otjomuise

By: WERNER MENGES

NAMIBIANS would soon have to forget about Windhoek, Grootfontein, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and a few other place names if DTA President Katuutire Kaura gets his way.

Kaura informed the National Assembly yesterday that he would table

a motion in Parliament next Thursday for the names of the capital

city and eight other towns in Namibia to "be restored to their

pre-colonial indigenous names".

Kaura's announcement sent a ripple, marked by subdued laughter

and mutterings on the part of MPs present, through the House.

 

The name changes he proposed, while also inviting other names to

be added to his list, are: * Windhoek should be become Otjomuise; *

Tsumeb should become Okavisume; * Gobabis should be Epako; *

Kamanjab should be known as Okamanja; * Karibib should be

Otjandjomboimwe; * Usakos should be Okanduu; * Swakopmund is to be

known as Otjozondjii; * Walvis Bay should be Ezorongondo; *

Grootfontein should be Otjivanda.

 

The names of Namibia's towns have remained unchanged since

Independence, in contrast to several other African countries after

their emergence from colonial rule.

 

The most recent example has been South Africa, where an often

controversial process of change has seen a number of towns shedding

names that were predominantly been deeply steeped in Afrikaner

history, to return to their original, pre-colonial African

names.

 

In the process, places like Pietersburg became Polokwane,

Potgietersrus became Mokopane, Louis Trichardt was renamed Makhoda,

Warmbaths was turned into Bela-Bela, and Naboomspruit became

Mookgophong.

 

Now, in possibly the most controversial proposed change yet, a

plan has been floated to rename Pretoria, former capital of one of

the Boer republics and the bureaucratic heart and capital of the

old, apartheid-era South Africa, as Tshwane.

 

Tshwane is reported to have been the historical African name for

the Apies River, which flows through Pretoria - or Tshwane, if you

like.

 

Kaura's announcement sent a ripple, marked by subdued laughter and

mutterings on the part of MPs present, through the House.The name

changes he proposed, while also inviting other names to be added to

his list, are: * Windhoek should be become Otjomuise; * Tsumeb

should become Okavisume; * Gobabis should be Epako; * Kamanjab

should be known as Okamanja; * Karibib should be Otjandjomboimwe; *

Usakos should be Okanduu; * Swakopmund is to be known as

Otjozondjii; * Walvis Bay should be Ezorongondo; * Grootfontein

should be Otjivanda.The names of Namibia's towns have remained

unchanged since Independence, in contrast to several other African

countries after their emergence from colonial rule.The most recent

example has been South Africa, where an often controversial process

of change has seen a number of towns shedding names that were

predominantly been deeply steeped in Afrikaner history, to return

to their original, pre-colonial African names.In the process,

places like Pietersburg became Polokwane, Potgietersrus became

Mokopane, Louis Trichardt was renamed Makhoda, Warmbaths was turned

into Bela-Bela, and Naboomspruit became Mookgophong.Now, in

possibly the most controversial proposed change yet, a plan has

been floated to rename Pretoria, former capital of one of the Boer

republics and the bureaucratic heart and capital of the old,

apartheid-era South Africa, as Tshwane.Tshwane is reported to have

been the historical African name for the Apies River, which flows

through Pretoria - or Tshwane, if you like.

---