7 towns that changed names and why

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Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has undergone a broad transformation, not just in politics and governance, but also in how the country reflects its identity.

Part of this has involved renaming towns, cities, streets, and landmarks that once honoured colonial rulers or apartheid-era figures. The goal has been to reclaim indigenous identities, recognise anti-apartheid leaders, and move away from symbols of oppression.

Here are some of the most notable town and city name changes in South Africa since the end of apartheid, including what they were called, what they’re called now, and why the changes happened…

1. Pretoria to Tshwane (2005)

Old name: Pretoria
Named after Andries Pretorius, a Voortrekker leader involved in several violent conflicts with African kingdoms.
New name: Tshwane
Derived from a South African chief or a precolonial name for the Apies River area. The name shift aims to reflect the city’s African heritage and break from its colonial symbolism.
Status: While the municipality is officially called the City of Tshwane, the city itself is still formally Pretoria. The name change was official in 2005 and remains politically contested.

2. Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha, South Africa (2021)

Old name: Port Elizabeth
Named by British settlers in 1820 after the wife of acting Governor Sir Rufane Donkin.
New name: Gqeberha
The Xhosa name for the Baakens River, which runs through the city. The name change reflects local indigenous heritage and language.
Why it changed: Replacing colonial names with indigenous ones is part of restoring cultural dignity to communities long erased from national maps and narratives.

3. Uitenhage to Kariega, South Africa (2021)

Old name: Uitenhage
Named in 1804 by the Dutch Cape Colony governor Jacob Uitenhage de Mist.
New name: Kariega
Taken from the nearby Kariega River, rooted in local Xhosa usage.
Why it changed: The aim was to reinforce African identity and remove the colonial legacy of Dutch and British settlers.

4. King William’s Town to Qonce (2021)

Old name: King William’s Town
Named after King William IV of Britain during the colonial era.
New name: Qonce
A traditional name used by South Africa’s Xhosa people for the area and the river that runs through it.
Why it changed: To drop the overtly British colonial naming and reflect the area’s precolonial history.

5. Grahamstown to Makhanda (2018)

Old name: Grahamstown
Named after Colonel John Graham, known for brutal military campaigns against Xhosa communities in the early 1800s.
New name: Makhanda
Honours Makhanda ka Nxele, a Xhosa warrior, prophet, and resistance leader who led an attack against the British in 1819.
Why it changed: To shift recognition from a coloniser to an anti-colonial hero in South Africa.

6. Verwoerdburg to Centurion (1995)

Old name: Verwoerdburg
Named after Hendrik Verwoerd, the so-called “architect of apartheid” and former Prime Minister of South Africa, who implemented and entrenched racial segregation laws.
New name: Centurion
Chosen for its neutrality and to avoid political or racial associations. The name is taken from the Centurion Park cricket stadium, which was already a familiar landmark in the area.
Why it changed: After the fall of apartheid, keeping a city named after one of the system’s main enforcers was unacceptable to many. The name Centurion was almost immediately adopted to reflect a fresh start without directly referencing any political or historical figure, a compromise that avoided inflaming tensions while still moving forward.

7. Nelspruit to Mbombela, South Africa (2009)

Old name: Nelspruit
Named after the Nel family, early Afrikaner settlers.
New name: Mbombela
Means “a lot of people in a small space” in Siswati, one of the dominant local languages.
Why it changed: To better reflect the culture and language of the region’s majority.