Agb Adjunkspeaker, die Minister van Kuns en Kultuur moet sonder verdere ontduiking duidelikheid gee en ophou om verkleurmannetjie te speel oor die naam van die stad Pretoria.
Meer as twee jaar het reeds verloop nadat die stadsraad die aansoek vir 'n naamsverandering na die Minister gebring het. Die Wet op die Raad vir Suid- Afrikaanse Geografiese Name bepaal in artikel 10(1) dat slegs die Minister die bevoegdheid het om die naam van 'n stad goed te keur of af te keur nadat 'n aanbeveling van die raad ontvang is.
Die Premier van Gauteng se stelling dat Pretoria se naam reeds verander is, is dus ongegrond en onwaar. Nie die Premier of 'n LUR het die mag om Pretoria se naam te verander nie, en die Staatskoerant van 4 Desember 2000 is duidelik dat die naam Tshwane slegs na die metropolitaanse munisipaliteit verwys. Slegs die Minister kan nou uitsluitsel gee oor of daar in der waarheid steeds 'n aansoek op sy tafel is of nie, en hoekom hy nie in die afgelope twee jaar aan die Suid-Afrikaanse publiek 'n antwoord kon gee oor Pretoria se naam nie. Hy moet dit dringend doen.
Die DA glo dat die naam van die stad Pretoria binne die groter metrogebied van Tshwane behoue moet bly. Dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans member's statement follows.) [Mrs D VAN DER WALT (DA): Hon Deputy Speaker, the Minister of Arts and Culture must, without any further evasion, stop playing the chameleon and give clarity on the name of the city of Pretoria.
More than two years have already passed since the city council brought the application before the Minister for a change of name. The South African Geographical Names Council Act, section 10(1) stipulates that only the Minister has the power to approve or not approve the name of a town after a recommendation has been received from the council.
The Premier of Gauteng's statement that Pretoria's name has already changed is therefore unfounded and untrue. Neither the Premier nor an MEC has the power to change Pretoria's name, and the Government Gazette of 4 December 2000 is clear that the name Tshwane only refers to the metropolitan municipality. Only the Minister can now give a decisive answer on if there is in truth still an application on his desk or not, and why he has not been able to give an answer to the South African public on the name of Pretoria in the past two years. He has to do this as a matter of urgency.
The DA believes that the name of the city of Pretoria should be retained within the greater metropolitan area of Tshwane. Thank you.]