Only 10 residents and a handful of provincial government officials turned up at the Raymond Mhlaba Sports Centre in Motherwell on Tuesday night for a hearing to discuss proposed name changes for Port Elizabeth and the Port Elizabeth International Airport.
This was the first hearing, which will be followed by others at the City Hall, the Centenary Hall in New Brighton and the Chatty Community Hall.
The Eastern Cape department of sports, recreation, arts and culture has invited residents to participate in the process of name changes for provincial geographical features located in the metro.
The sports centre, where the hearings were set to take place, was virtually empty, with most chairs unoccupied.
This prompted calls from those present to postpone the meeting to give more people the opportunity to participate.
Former ANC councillor Fikile Desi said: “I know the people from Motherwell.
“They are very good at attending community meetings – unlike today.
“It’s my humble appeal to give the process another chance.”
Simphiwe Dulwana, of Walmer, said the majority of residents had not given their input on the proposed name changes and the hearing should be rescheduled.
“We must make sure that residents are informed next time and well aware of such hearings,” Dulwana said.
“If I did not read about this hearing in the newspaper on Tuesday, I would also not have been here.”
Eastern Cape Geographical Name Committee deputy chair Zukile Jodwana said three advertisements had been placed in local newspapers and on radio stations.
“But, in future, we will consider a loud-hailer. I have been informed it works here,” he said.
The officials decided that the business of the day for the proposed new names should go ahead – and two things that featured prominently were the name changes for the city and the airport.
ANC MPL Christian Martin said he wanted the Port Elizabeth airport to be named the David Stuurman International Airport, after the Khoi-San leader-chief, because of the sacrifices he had made.
DA member Masixole Zinto, who said he was there simply as an interested member of the public, proposed that the city be named Govan Mbeki City after the struggle icon.
Traci Mackie, representing the Raymond and Dideka Mhlaba Foundation, suggested that the airport be named the Raymond Mhlaba Airport.
Suggested names included: Sipho Hashe International Airport;
Nelson Mandela Bay Airport;
David Stuurman International Airport;
The Khoi-San International Airport; and Nelson Mandela Airport. And for the city of Port Elizabeth, the suggested name-change options were Gqebera, I-Bhayi and Nelson Mandela City.