Coen Steytler, the mastermind behind the development of the Foreshore, may once again have his name on a street sign.
|||Cape Town - Coen Steytler, the mastermind behind the development of the Foreshore, may once again have his name on a street sign, if a proposal to name one of the circles on Heerengracht Boulevard gets the thumbs-up.
Residents have from Monday until July 31 to comment on the City of Cape Town’s naming proposal.
Coen Steytler Avenue was a casualty of last year’s street renaming process, when there was overwhelming public support for it to be changed to Walter Sisulu Avenue, after the struggle stalwart.
The decision upset Steytler’s family, who wrote to Western Cape Premier Helen Zille about their concerns. They said they had made their submission in 2007. It was suggested that the airport could have been given Walter Sisulu’s name so that Coen Steytler Avenue could be retained.
Councillor Brett Herron, of the city’s renaming committee, said then that it was not easy to reflect everybody in the renaming process and that any changes were not meant to impugn the contribution or reputation of those involved.
The new proposal was made by DA councillor James Slabbert, who submitted a motion to the city’s naming committee. It was unanimously supported and recommended for public consultation.
“The mayor and I met a representative of the Steytler family and she expressed support for the proposal,” said Herron. It would be a fitting way to honour Steytler as the circle was on a street viewed as “the gateway to the city”.
But according to comments submitted via social media, the new name could create confusion. Some people still view Walter Sisulu Avenue as Coen Steytler Avenue. Another said it was problematic to name roads after people.
Quite a few people who commented on the city’s Facebook page said it would be a waste of money that could be better used to fix roads or improve conditions for the poor.
There were no plans to give the other circle on this boulevard a name, said Herron.
anél Lewis@inl.co.za
Cape Argus