Draft Bills

1. The following section is hereby inserted in the principal Act after section 9:

“Public consultations on geographical name changes

9A.   (1)    Upon receipt of an application for the standardisation, including registration of new names, change or withdrawal of existing names of a geographical name, the Provincial Committee (in the case of a provincial feature) or the Council (in the case of a national or inter-provincial feature) must, before formulating any recommendation—

(a)    conduct research and initial assessments in accordance with section 9; and

(b)    publish a notice of the proposed name in the Provincial Government Gazette and at least two newspapers or media outlets circulating in the affected area, inviting written comments from the public and stakeholders within a period of not less than 30 days.

(2) In addition to the publication contemplated in subsection (1)(b), the Provincial Committee must engage directly with affected parties, including local communities, traditional leaders, municipalities and relevant organisations, in accordance with the definition of "consultation".

(3) After the closing date for comments, the Provincial Committee must—

(a)    consider all submissions received, together with the research and assessments;

(b)    hold a public consultation, to solicit views; and

(c)    document responses to the submissions and afford an opportunity for further review if new information emerges.

(4)    The outcomes of the consultation process must be included in any recommendation forwarded to the Council or Minister in terms of sections 9 or 10.

Inputs and feedback can be sent to HeraldryBill@dsac.gov.za

Closing date for comments: 31 March 2023 @ 16h00