MARK CARRELS and SUE MACLENNAN
Three emotionally charged meetings last week about proposed name changes for Alexandria, Port Alfred and the Kowie River had contrasting outcomes. The Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee (EPGNC) on Wednesday hosted the first public participation meeting at Wentzel Park Hall in Alexandria; the second across the R72 at KwaNonkqubela Hall. The third meeting took place in Titi Jonas Multipurpose Centre in Nemato, Port Alfred, the following day.
The two name change proposals for Alexandria are Nkosi Chungwa and Emnyameni.
The sticking point for most at Wentzel Park Hall was the perception that the names had been forced on to them without proper consultation.
ECPGNC chair Christian Martin, at times had difficulty in bringing order to the chaotic meeting. Martin was accompanied by committee secretary, Mark Mandita, and colleagues Unathi Hlathuka and Nqabisa Nongogo. At one stage, concerned community members walked out of the meeting because they did not agree to outside parties being present in the audience.
Chungwa family representative Siyabonga Jabavu said his forebear Nkosi Chungwa “a freedom fighter” of the late 18th and early 19th centuries who defended land rights and resisted British colonial expansion in the Zuurveld region of the Eastern Cape, was buried in Alexandria. Several elders of his family from East London had present at the first meeting.
But some argued that because the Chungwa family were from East London they had no say in the matter.
Concerned community member, Zanele Tana, declared his unhappiness with proceedings.
“We can’t make decisions if the majority of the people of Alexandria are not here,” said Tana.
Jan Smit of the Alexandria Business and Tourism association flagged Martin for jumping the gun.
“I must put on record I take exception to the chair telling the community that the name change is imminent,” Smit said. “This is a public participation process where we discuss the matter and a decision is taken eventually. So record my objection.”
Martin backed down, but put it down to a play on words.
One resident, Luthando Magobiane, said the committee should show the community respect.
“I think this is incorrect because at the end of the day only the people of Alex can decide. I do respect Chungwa, but you can’t make decisions on behalf of Alexandria that are incorrect.”
Martin was at pains to provide clarity on the way forward except to say that it is recorded that only the people of Alexandria want to participate in the process with no outsiders.
Jean Hendricks said he was told by his elders that Alexandria was known as Olifantshoek.
“… there is also a history behind that name,” Hendricks said.
Tana then led a walkout of the community when the committee mentioned that everything was being recorded and they would give feedback later. However, they returned soon afterwards when they decided to put forward a proposal about not having outsiders present.
When the meeting had gone an hour past the scheduled time, Martin declared the Wentzel Park meeting “as not having reached any conclusion”.
However, at the second meeting at Nonkqubela Community Hall, attendees agreed on the Emnyameni proposal.
“We agreed to the Emnyameni proposal in the second meeting that the name change for Alexandria should be Emnyameni,“ Magobiane confirmed.
“The chief story, of Nkosi Chungwa as far as I know, in terms of the background history, the chief was assassinated by a young English soldier while he was very ill and this incident occurred at Emnyameni which means “rainbow” … so we are a rainbow town,” he added.
The community members said Emnyameni appropriately honoured the historical events of Chungwa’s death and represented inclusivity rather than exclusivity.
The ECPGNC would now consider the public’s input as part of its ongoing process in finalising the official naming decision, Martin said.
Close to 200 residents from Port Alfred’s suburbs on Thursday attended a third meeting in the town to discuss its proposed name change. The meeting followed two in Alexandria the previous day. But while more individual contributions were heard than in the previous two meetings, there was scant protection of participants by the chair and, frustrated by persistent heckling, a significant number left the meeting. The local residents’ organisation has also called out an alleged lack of proper procedure.
The name changes proposed by the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC) are Alexandria to Nkosi Chungwa or Emnyameni; Port Alfred to iCoyi or iCawa; and the Kowie River to iQoyi.
At a heated stakeholder meeting in the Port Alfred Civic Centre on August 6 (subsequently referred to by the committee as a public awareness session), a follow-up stakeholders consultation meeting was set for Wednesday September 10 at 10am in the same venue.
One of the concerns raised there was that the meetings were being held in Port Alfred, whereas one of the proposed name changes was Alexandria, more than 50km away. Additional concerns were raised about the accessibility of the Port Alfred Civic Centre for township residents, and the difficulty for working people of attending meetings on weekday mornings. The ECPGNC then scheduled two meetings in Alexandria on Wednesday last week (October 22), and a third in Titi Jonas Multipurpose Centre in Port Alfred the next day.
At the first Port Alfred meeting, legal representative for the Port Alfred Ratepayers and Residents Association (PARRA) Marius Coetzee, of De Jager & Lordan Attorneys, had requested more information about the application for the name changes, including the motivation. He said the residents he represented wanted to engage with the proposals meaningfully and could only do so if they saw the motivations and associated research that had set them in motion.
Instead, committee chair Christian Martin read out what he said was the account of an oral historian of the origins of the proposed names, and motivations for them.
Talk of the Town later confirmed with Bathurst-based Prince Xolelani Hlalebhungeni Nyamla, of the Royal House of AmaChwama that it was his document; however, it wasn’t clear whether it had formed part of the original application, or if it was an independent submission on the area’s history.
Several residents had prepared considered submissions, which they read out. The issues they raised included prioritising social and economic change over what they labelled as a political move; concern about the costs of name changing and perceived unfairness and exclusion (the Freedom Charter and Constitution were freely cited).
Strong retorts came from EFF councillor Xolisa RUneli, Port Alfred Crime Fighters chair Bonakele Moyikwa and others who argued that true reconciliation required recognising historic injustices and reclaiming places in ways that honoured their original inhabitants.
There was possibly one interaction that could be described as engagement.
The DA’s Ndlambe caucus leader Sikhumbuzo Venene compared the proponents of the name change to the architects of apartheid, claiming it promoted racial profiling.
“We are not going to allow that!” Venene said. “We are building a non-racial community and there is nothing wrong with the name Port Alfred,” he said to enthusiastic applause.
Runeli later accused speakers of using the constitution to suit them.
“You forget that our constitution is a transformative one,” he said. “You are right that we should be talking about serious issues: we should be discussing who really owns the land.”
PARRA has since lodged a formal complaint with the CEO of the ECPGNC and the Ndlambe Mayor.
“What was intended to be a lawful, inclusive, and transparent public participation process degenerated into a racially divisive and hostile gathering that has brought both the Ndlambe Municipality and the Eastern Cape Provincial Geographical Names Committee (ECPGNC) into disrepute,” the letter, signed by chairperson Ren Mouton, begins.
Mouton cites a delayed start, alleged racist and aggressive behaviour by councillors, the committee’s refusal to recognise PARRA’s legal representative, the apparent suppression of public participation and the withholding of research data.
“PARRA regards the events of 23 October 2025 as a serious affront to democratic process, procedural fairness, and community dignity. The conduct of certain municipal representatives and the chairperson cannot go unaddressed,” the letter states, demanding a full independent investigation into the conduct of the meeting.
The organisation would escalate the matter to the provincial MEC for local government, the Public Protector and would pursue legal remedies should their concerns not be addressed.
