Malibongwe Drive

A view across Malibongwe Drive, showing a newly installed road name marker, with the old name, Hans Strijdom-rylaan, still visible on the kerbstone

Malibongwe Drive (formerly Hans Strijdom Drive (Afrikaans: Hans Strijdom-rylaan)) is a major road that runs through an industrial area in the northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa. It connects Randburg with Northgate. Malibongwe is said to mean "praise the women" and which the Johannesburg Development Agency says refers to the 1956 Women's March, a march against carrying passes by non-white women.^[1]

Hans Strijdom Drive, as well as another major Randburg road, Hendrik Verwoerd Drive, were renamed due to their strong ties to Apartheid. Despite the most popular suggestion for the new name being Nelson Mandela Drive, and Nkululeko Drive emerging as the chosen replacement, Hans Strijdom Drive was renamed Malibongwe Drive at the end of September 2007.

The reaction from businesses along Hans Strijdom Drive was generally negative, however, with only 20 percent ^[2] supporting the name change. Most businesses cited the high cost of having replacement stationery, business cards etc. made.

The Damelin Randburg campus is located on Malibongwe Drive.^[3]

Controversy

The change was part of an ongoing plan by the city of Johannesburg to create politically neutral names to replace "upsetting" reminders of South Africa's racial past. Many of the name changes in South Africa have been met with opposition as some citizens claim the changes to be all black-politically motivated as in OR Tambo. Yet the new name changes have included white historical figures as well, such as Beyers Naude and Bram Fischer (previously DF Malan and Hendrik Verwoerd respectively). Of course, both were antiapartheid activists.

References