Goodbye Graaff-Reinet: South African town’s name change stirs racial tensions

Goodbye Graaff-Reinet: South African town’s name change stirs racial tensions

In the small town of Graaff-Reinet, a significant debate has emerged over renaming the locale to honor Robert Sobukwe, an anti-apartheid leader. The decision, approved by the sports, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie on February 6, has sparked divisions among residents, with many expressing concerns about the cultural implications of the change.

Supporters argue that the name shift is a vital step in transforming South Africa’s legacy from colonial rule and white-minority apartheid. They highlight Sobukwe’s pivotal role in history, including his leadership during the Sharpeville massacre of March 21, 1960, when protests against pass laws turned deadly. Sobukwe, who left the African National Congress (ANC) to establish the Pan Africanist Congress in 1959, symbolizes a broader movement to dismantle racial hierarchies.

Opponents, however, feel the name change threatens their sense of identity. Graaff-Reinet, named after Cornelis Jacob van de Graaff, the Dutch colonial governor who founded the town in 1786, and his wife, Hester Cornelia Reynet, holds sentimental value for many. A December 2023 survey revealed 83.6% of residents opposed the renaming, with particularly strong resistance from Coloured and white communities.

Of the 367 respondents surveyed, 54% identified as Coloured, 27.2% as Black, and 18.8% as white. Laughton Hoffman, a Coloured-Khoi-San activist, emphasized the economic impact, noting that the town’s historic whitewashed Cape Dutch architecture and cultural heritage have drawn tourists. “We are not emotional about the Dutch,” Hoffman stated, wearing a “Hands Off Graaff-Reinet” T-shirt. “Out of the grief of the past, the name became a benefit for the people and the economy.”

“Many residents felt that changing the name would erase part of their identity as ‘Graaff-Reinetters,’” wrote Stellenbosch University geography professor Ronnie Donaldson, who analyzed the community’s sentiments.

Derek Light, a white lawyer, criticized the process, claiming it did not adhere to legal standards. “It was a faux process,” he argued, lamenting the unrest the name change had caused. Light noted that the town had previously been marked by peaceful coexistence, despite ongoing socioeconomic challenges.

Black residents, meanwhile, see the renaming as a necessary act of recognition. “We have always had racial problems,” said Athe Singeni, a member of the Robert Sobukwe Steering Committee. “It was very subtle.” Her mother, Nomandla, added that the community would not back down, even after Sobukwe’s grave was vandalized earlier this month. “We as Black people have a history that has been erased,” she said, underscoring the symbolic weight of the change.

With over 1,500 placenames altered since 2000, including the renaming of Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha, the debate over Graaff-Reinet reflects broader tensions in South Africa’s post-apartheid society. While some view it as progress, others see it as an erasure of their shared past, leaving the town at a crossroads between heritage and historical reckoning.