Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
16 October 2024 | 23:08 CAT
2-minute read

The proposal to change Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive dates back to 2018, when Johannesburg City Councillor Thapelo Amad proposed renaming the road to Ramallah City Drive. While the proposal was supported by the African National Congress at the time, the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) did not implement the change.

Now, the city has renewed the proposed change in honour of Leila Khaled, a Palestinian activist and symbol of resistance, to facilitate the removal of symbols and names that reflect colonisation and replace them with symbols of renewal.

The proposed renaming is part of a larger street-naming initiative by the CoJ.

“This process goes beyond merely changing signs; it represents Johannesburg’s pride as an apartheid-free city, dedicated to the principles of justice, equality, and solidarity,” reads a statement by the CoJ on X.

The plan has been met with opposition from many parties, with the Democratic Alliance having submitted 5 500 official objections.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Martin Williams, the elected DA councillor for Ward 90, which encompasses most of Sandton Drive, said that most of the objections he has received stems from concerns over service delivery and the financial priorities of the city.

Williams also said that Johannesburg’s diversity makes such gestures contentious. In addition, he referenced a part of the city’s policy that prohibits naming streets after living individuals and promotes choices that foster goodwill, then questioned whether renaming the street after Khaled would meet this criterion, given her lack of direct connection to Johannesburg.

Notably (or laughably), the planned change has been labelled as “South Africa’s latest pro-terror move” in an article written by David May and published (ironically) on the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

This is not the only criticism levelled at the proposal, with the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) having condemned the proposal as “malicious”.

The South African Jewish Report published an article that describes Khaled as “a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an internationally designated terrorist organisation.” The writer goes on to write that Khaled “is known as the poster girl of Palestinian militancy for her role in hijacking TWA flight 840 from Rome to Tel Aviv in 1969, as well as many other terrorist activities.”

An organisation that stands for liberation is designated as a terrorist organisation. A woman fighting for freedom for her people is described as a “poster girl of Palestinian militancy.” This must truly be a world gone absolutely, stark-raving mad.

While doing research for this article, I googled ‘2018 renaming johannesburg’ and was met with information that mainly focused on the objections brought against the planned rename, which raises concerns about the objectivity and variety of the information we receive.

The renaming process is currently in the hands of the Department of Community Development, which is gathering input from residents. Once a report is compiled, it will be presented to the City Council for a vote.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.