The City of Cape Town has honoured one of Cape Town’s best brand ambassadors ever with a street named after him. Professor Christiaan Barnard performed the first ever heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in December 1967, and the world’s media focused on the Beaufort West born heart surgeon, the hospital and Cape Town, at a time when South Africa was not politically acceptable.
Last week Mayor Patricia de Lille inaugurated Christiaan Barnard Street with his children Deirdre, Frederick, Christiaan, and Lara, the street having previously been known as Oswald Pirow Street on the Foreshore. The Netcare Hospital on Loop Street has also been named after the heart surgeon.
The Cape Times has reported that a number of street name changes are still on the cards, currently named after previous National Party politicians, and these include Hendrik Verwoerd Drive, Jan Smuts Drive, DF Malan Street, and Nico Malan Street. Other streets on the proposed name change list (with the proposed street name change in brackets) include Lansdowne Road (Imam Haron Road), Jip de Jager Street (Dulcie September Drive), Coen Steytler Avenue (Walter Sisulu Drive), Andries Pretorius Street (Orange Street), five Milner Roads, Vanguard Drive (Govan Mbeki Drive), NY1 (Steve Biko Drive), and Willie van Schoor Rylaan (Jeff Masemola Drive).
Interesting is that all five the City’s Milner Roads are to change their name, and here the naming steers away from the political, to honour poet and writer Uys Krige (Tamboerskloof), poet Ingrid Jonker (Sea Point), poet and writer PJ Philander (Scotville), poet SV Petersen (Observatory), and writer Jan Rabie (industrial area).
Earlier this year the Eastern Boulevard was renamed the Nelson Mandela Boulevard. Another definite street name change has been announced as being the Adderley to Burg Street section of Castle Street, which is to be named after Krotoa, a Khoisan leader. The latest street name change proposal is subject to a public participation process.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage
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Good post ! Can you please post more information regarding your sources. Thanks again !
Dear Graham
You’ll see that I quoted the Cape Times.
Chris