Historic South African coastal town set for name change amid fierce opposition

Port Alfred – The proposed renaming of historic Eastern Cape coastal town Port Alfred remains unresolved, with the process facing a legal challenge over whether residents were adequately consulted.

According to BusinessTech, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie told Parliament that the proposed change of Port Alfred to either iCawa or iCoyi has not yet been submitted to the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC), meaning no recommendation has been made.

Port Alfred, established in 1860 and named after Prince Alfred, the son of Queen Victoria, has been at the centre of a growing dispute over the proposed removal of colonial-era names.

The Eastern Cape Geographical Names Council has proposed changing Port Alfred to iCawa or iCoyi, while the Kowie River would become iQoyi. The council has argued that the changes are intended to restore indigenous names and address the legacy of colonial naming.

In 2025, Daily Maverick reported that the council viewed the proposed changes as part of efforts to correct colonial-era geographical names.

The council’s chairperson, Christian Martin, said colonial names such as Kowie and Port Alfred were “not neutral designations” but had served as “instruments of territorial claim and cultural erasure”.

Resistance

However, the proposals have met resistance from residents, ratepayers, businesses and tourism stakeholders, who argue that the process has not provided sufficient public participation and could damage the town’s established tourism brand.

The Herald reported that the Port Alfred Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (PARRA) had taken the matter to court, arguing that meaningful public participation was essential.

PARRA attorney Marius Coetzee described the legal challenge as “a line in the sand”, saying: “Meaningful public participation ensures ordinary people are properly heard.”

The legal challenge is focused on the process rather than the merits of the proposed name itself. PARRA was asking the Makhanda High Court to declare the public participation process unlawful.

The dispute also has an economic dimension. EWN reported that tourism stakeholders were concerned about the cost of rebranding a destination that has invested heavily in building the Port Alfred name.

Court proceedings

The government, meanwhile, has stressed that the process has not yet resulted in a final decision. McKenzie said the department would be guided by the outcome of the pending court proceedings.

The Port Alfred dispute forms part of a wider debate over geographical name changes in South Africa.

The government has already finalised the change from Grahamstown to Makhanda, while the proposed renaming of Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town is also facing a High Court challenge.

For now, Port Alfred remains Port Alfred, with any formal name change dependent on the outcome of the legal proceedings and the subsequent geographical names approval process.