ANC to protest in favor of renaming Sandton Drive

The African National Congress (ANC) in Greater Johannesburg will hold a picket to advocate for renaming Sandton Drive as Leila Khaled Drive.

The picket will start at 16:00 on Monday, 14 October, at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg. 

ANC WANTS SANDTON DRIVE RENAMED

The South African previously reported that Sandton Drive renaming to Leila Khaled Drive was first proposed in 2018. The move was posited on a memorandum of co-operation with the Palestinian city of Ramallah. Moreover, it was hailed as an expression of the city’s commitment to diplomatic relations with the people of Palestine. Johannesburg also donated a statue of Nelson Mandela to Ramallah back in 2016.

Leila Khaled is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an internationally designated terrorist organisation. She 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, according to The Jewish Report.

PROPOSAL MET WITH MIXED REACTIONS

The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) has joined many who have condemned the proposal saying it is divisive and provocative. Especially because the United State Consulate is on Sandton Drive. The move has been seen as an attempt to spite the US.

Likewise, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said the proposal can only be seen as a blatant act of political grandstanding, reflecting a disconnect between the city government and the needs of its citizens.

The party said it believes that policy changes and effective governance should take precedence over superficial renaming ceremonies.

DA constituency head in Sandton Leah Potgieter said Sandton residents, and Joburg at large, have long expressed extreme frustration over ongoing issues such as severe water shortages, unrehabilitated roads, persistent power outages, and unreliable waste management, to name but a few failures by the current administration.

On the other hand, Al Jama-ah supports the proposal saying labelling Khaled as a terrorist is hogwash.

The party said the narrative that seeks to label Khaled as such reflects the colonial and racist mentality that has historically been used to undermine the struggles of freedom fighters worldwide including South Africa’s liberation heroes.