The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Free State has welcomed the renaming of Brandfort to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
The party says the move is long overdue.
It has called for more renaming of towns and streets to be implemented.
The EFF however cautioned the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), not to use the renaming process for electioneering.
Free State EFF chairperson Mandisa Makesini says the lives of the people of Brandfort should be improved to live up to the name of the struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
“We hope it is not only the electioneering machinery to convince the people of Brandfort to vote for them. The people of Brandfort are still suffering, they don’t have toilets, water, houses they are still unemployed.”
“They will have to make sure that they change the lives of the people of Brandfort completely. The people of Brandfort deserve better because that town is named after Mama Winnie,” adds Makesini.
Mixed reactions to the approval of name change to Brandfort to Winnie Mandela:
Minister Mthethwa approves Brandfort name change
Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa approved the name change for the Free State town of Brandfort to Winnie Mandela.
The name change was Gazetted on Friday in terms of Section 10(2) of the South African Geographical Names Council Act (Act No 118 0f 1998).
The late struggle icon was banished to Brandfort in 1977 by the apartheid regime.
She died in 2018 at the age of 81. Since then talks began to rename the town after her to honour her legacy.
