Jessie Duarte leads ANC mobilisation campaign for William Nicol Drive name change

The ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte is leading a drive by the party to change the name of William Nichol Drive in Johannesburg, to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Drive.

A number of ANC members and supporters, including the likes of Nomvula Mokonyane, have flooded parts of William Nichol Drive, and are calling on communities in Gauteng to back the party’s name change bid.

“The Deputy Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC), Comrade Jessie Duarte, will tomorrow, Monday, the 26th of April 2021, lead the mobilisation of communities in Gauteng in support of changing the name of William Nicol Drive to Winnie Madikizela Mandela Drive,” the ANC said in a statement.

“The campaign involves signing a pledge in support of the name change to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Drive. Comrade Duarte will also use this occasion to launch an online petition for the name change”

The ANC

Public participation in William Nichol Drive name change underway

At this point, public weigh-in on the name change is underway and has been encouraged by the City of Johannesburg, which is spearheading the drive, led by Mayor Geoff Makhubo.

The process to give comment comes to an end on Tuesday, 27 April 2021.

The City announced the name change bid on 26 September 2020, which would have been Madikizela-Mandela’s 84th birthday, saying this was to symbolise the contribution she made during the country’s fight for freedom.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has since launched an online petition opposing the timing of the rename.

“In a time of economic crisis, why spend taxpayer money on this? We call on residents to sign this petition and stop this illegal and pointless name change,” said the party.

William Nicol, the bearer of the current name was a prominent leader during the apartheid years. Nicol was the chairperson for the Afrikaner Broederband, a male-only organisation that sought to preserve their heritage. Nicol became the governor of Transvaal in 1948, serving 10 years in the position.

He was considered a strong opponent of apartheid’s Bantu Education programme. He was a staunch believer in teaching all South Africans in their mother tongue, with English being treated as a second language so everyone could communicate. The road in Johannesburg was named after him, because he oversaw most of its development.