PRETORIA, 8 September 2003 — Pretoria might not survive the new South Africa.

The country’s capital has long lived in the shadow of its much larger neighbor Johannesburg, earning a reputation as a sleepy stronghold of white bureaucrats who administered decades of apartheid rule.

Now, almost 10 years after South Africa was reborn as a multi-racial democracy, Pretoria is embroiled in a raging debate about names, history and national identity.

At issue are proposed plans to change Pretoria’s name to “Tshwane” — the name of an African chief who ruled the area before the arrival of white settlers led by the city’s current namesake, Andries Pretorius, in 1855.

“We all know that change is pain, but this city must change and so must its people,” said Kadi Petje, who has lived in Pretoria for more than five years and supports the idea.

“Pretoria must change from being the capital of apartheid to the capital of African renaissance.” Others are not so sure.

‘Kicking and Screaming’

The greater Pretoria area, which includes black townships including Mamelodi, Mabopane, Winterveld and Atteridgeville, has been known as Tshwane since 2000. But the city itself has thus far retained its name.

Now home to about one million people, Pretoria has enjoyed special status since it was named the capital of the South African Republic, an early state founded by Dutch-descended “Afrikaners” who went on to dominate white-ruled South Africa.

The city could be forgiven for thinking it handled the transition to democracy more comfortably than most.

Nelson Mandela’s triumphant assumption of the presidency in 1994 was beamed around the world from Pretoria’s Union Buildings and the city quickly took on its role as the capital of the new, non-racial South Africa.

But old-time Pretorians had another thing coming. In July, executive mayor Smangaliso Mkhatshwa formally proposed erasing the name Pretoria from the books. “It used to be a symbol of apartheid,” he said.

While Mkhatshwa — a Catholic priest — promised that the ruling African National Congress would consult with Pretoria residents before pushing through any name change, other ANC leaders were less diplomatic.

“We will change and we are going to change,” ANC city councilor William Mahlangu said, according to the Pretoria News. “If people do not want to change we will drag them kicking and screaming.”

Kick and scream they did. Led by opposition political parties, infuriated Pretoria residents blasted the name-change idea and forced Mkhatshwa to delay — but not drop — the plan.

The Name of the Game

Pretoria is not the only South African place name to come under the political microscope.

The former Verwoerdburg — named after Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, known as the architect of apartheid — has been redubbed Centurion, while the greater metropolitan area around the coastal city of Durban is now officially known by its Zulu name, eThekwini.

Johannesburg has thus far kept its name, although it is often referred to as eGoli by Zulu speakers and its Tswana name, Gauteng, has been adopted for the entire province.

The city of Port Elizabeth is pushing itself as the heart of the new “Nelson Mandela Metropole”, while cities across the country are swapping out apartheid-era street names.

Supporters of the changes say altering names is an integral part of putting South Africa’s black majority in charge of the country’s cultural destiny. With 11 official languages, there are plenty of names to choose from.

Itumeleng Mosala, the director general of the Department of Arts and Culture, said names had to be brought into line with South Africa’s new reality and suggested the country might consider renaming itself “Azania”, a name long promoted by certain black activists.

“There is an urgent need to transform the national heritage landscapes through renaming,” Mosala said in a recent speech.

“People have always attached meaning to their immediate environment in order to assign meaning and give recognition.”

Some Pretoria supporters have criticised the new name for undercutting the Afrikaner role in South Africa’s history, while others worry that slapping a new label on the city could be bad for business.

“It is vital to consider it from in within a longer-term strategic context and to weigh all the pros and cons,” said Professor Ernie Heath, head of the department of tourism at the University of Pretoria.