PROPOSAL UPROAR
‘Dubai West’ — Beaufort West mayor proposes name change to ‘reflect local identity’
Beaufort West executive mayor Ashley Sauls was picking up where his predecessor, Gayton McKenzie, left off when he tabled a 12-page motion this week proposing changing the municipality’s name to Dubai West.
The proposal to change the name of Beaufort West to Dubai West has enraged residents, opposition party members and religious leaders, who have collectively dismissed mayor Ashley Sauls’ plan and vowed to block it.
Sauls is a Patriotic Alliance (PA) member from Eldorado Park and a former Johannesburg city councillor. He was elected mayor of Beaufort West with the support of the ANC and the Karoo Defence League in February 2023 in a close vote. His appointment was widely condemned.
Sauls’ outlandish idea aligns perfectly with former mayor Gayton McKenzie’s promise in June 2022 to “turn this place into Dubai”.
McKenzie resigned in May this year under a cloud. Questions remain about the R3-million he raised for the region that was not deposited into the municipality’s bank account.
Uniting the municipality
On Monday, 28 August, a resolution titled, “Beaufort West Turnaround Triple R Strategy”, was tabled at a council meeting. Sauls’ motive for changing the name to Dubai West was to allow Beaufort to live as one people in the municipality, with a logo and a slogan that expresses one identity.
Currently, he said, the name reflects the legacy of an English family, which is part of the area’s history but does not represent the various groups that reside in the municipality, where Afrikaans and isiXhosa are the predominant languages.
“I propose that we review our name and consider inclusive names that speak to who we are and where we are going, like, for example, amongst other names, ‘Dubai West’.”
Dubai, a bustling city in the United Arab Emirates, is known for its towering skyscrapers, luxury shopping and modern architecture.
Saul explained that he proposed changing the municipality’s name, not the name of the town, Beaufort West.
“There are several synonyms that are associated with this vibrant city, including the ‘City of Dreams’, as it is a popular destination for those seeking a better life and career opportunities,” said Sauls.
On his municipality’s natural resources, Sauls emphasised that supporting investment in sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, education and shale gas would result in a more sustainable and resilient local economy.
“Beaufort West municipality is extremely rich with natural resources that [are] enough for every single resident to prosper and enjoy generational wealth. We are home to a bigger chunk of what is known as the ‘new gold’.
“God has favoured us with eight times more shale gas deposits than Mossel Bay, which essentially means that the words of our former district executive mayor, His Excellency Gayton McKenzie, that we shall be the next ‘Dubai’ is not just prophetic, pioneering and revolutionary, but also realistic and geo-scientifically achievable,” said Sauls.
In June 2022, in a speech marking his first 100 days in office, McKenzie said that the Karoo needed fracking to reverse the region’s fortunes.
‘Rather focus on service delivery’
On Thursday, 31 August, Brian Jooste, a community organiser, told Daily Maverick the municipality wanted to change the name to Dubai because it was all about “subterranean resources”.
“This name change will never happen. I’ve started a petition to stop it,” he said.
Pastor David Demas, a local spiritual leader, wrote on social media: “The name of our beautiful town can impossibly be changed by a few people on the council. As a proud resident, pensioner and religious leader, I’d want to deliver a friendly but firm caution to the council… Don’t take a decision based on a political party; instead, engage with the community as a whole, regardless of race, gender or religion.”
The possible name change is strongly opposed by the DA in Beaufort West. DA caucus leader in the town, Schaun Meyer, emphasised that Beaufort West is a “unique and integral” part of South Africa’s rich history.
“After heavy debate in council, the mayor removed the part where name-changes appeared. It is concerning for an individual who is not born and bred in Beaufort West to have such disrespect for the town’s history and for her people.
“The mayor should rather focus on the turnaround strategy and on much-needed service delivery for residents and stop the corruption in the municipality, which he does not comment on or keep individuals accountable for,” Meyer said.
Beaufort West ANC chairperson, Windy Plaatjies, supported a possible name change as proposed by its alliance partner, the PA. Plaatjies explained that in addition to the town of Beaufort West, the municipality also includes Merweville, Nelspoort, Murraysburg and Leeu-Gamka.
“The issue is that the other towns feel excluded by the current name, and the name as it currently stands does not reflect other towns. We need to include the other towns in a name that will unite us all. A dialogue and public participation are required,” Plaatjies said.
Wouter Kriel, spokesperson for Western Cape Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell, confirmed that the department had received the motion and supported a thorough investigation into a possible name change and public participation process. DM
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So people trashed the DA for taking a stance against the PA – here is why! If anyone thinks the PA is upright and honourable you need your head read
Of all the complete waste of resources to support the ego of who? Beaufort West voters need their heads read for electing such clowns
“Las Vegas West?”
East actually. Las Vegas East…
Kanya West?
Die baai wes
Then, maybe the ANC scoundrels, Duduzani, his old man and the Guptas can all move there.
What an idiot! The man is wired to the moon.
Please not. There’s enough stupidity and corruption in that municipality.
Well, Port Elizabeth – you know the place where they can’t even keep the water flowing due to lack of finance – spent hundreds of millions changing its name to Qbertha. Frivolous, wasteful, pathetic – but of course, we all know who built the port and the city of Nelson Mandela Bay. So why not Beaufort, poverty wracked and dry. Why not spend money on a really stupid and disconnected name change?
A small fact they’ve overlooked… They state they want to rename it Dubai because it sits on gas deposits, trouble is, Dubai doesn’t have much in terms of oil & gas deposits, certainly not nearly enough to sustain the city, it’s in fact the neighbouring Emirate, Abu Dhabi that has all of the Oil & Gas
Here is a good name change for this area, Kakistan. They can twin it to the other place to the east.
Hie hie
Where do these people come from?
They are clowns and need to be returned to the funny farm.
Perhaps they should begin by applying their minds and efforts to getting the basics right, that being service delivery.
After getting the basics right they should attempt at uplifting/improving the service delivery to a standard resembling a first-world country for at least 24 months.
Once the service level is at a first-world level continuously for 24 months, a change in name could be justified.
How does a change in name benefit the residents of Beaufort West?
Dubai West! What an insult to Dubai.
Oh boy! They live amongst us! Scary thought – this poor quality of appointed servant of the people is appointed to make decisions for the people!
This mayor wasn’t elected, like so many other officials, but rather offered as an offering to misrule together. Eish this circus is overflowing already!.
I fail to see how Merweville, etc. would feel excluded. Mr Mayor must deliver the services and stop the corruption (and find the R3 million while he’s at it). A name change isn’t going to make the residents of those dorpies feel more included. He must just do his job and make sure the services happen. And if he doesn’t have what it takes, then give the job to someone in the DA who can do the job. This is why the DA doesn’t want PA thugs in the mix. They’re no better than the ANC.
There is no way I can show the citizens of the town real improvement, so let me do something populist.
Yawn.
Goodbye West …?
When a political clown starts using words like “His Excellency” and “prophetic” in the same sentence, know that nothing is going to change… except the hand accepting the money!
And my apologies to all the clowns who do bring a smile to our faces.
Name-Changes are a NO-NO.
That’s what the Marxists and Stalinists did in many places globally. Like in East Germany. Once Socialism had collapsed first thing people did was get rid of the Marxists Name-Changes.
„Dubai“ is a Joke. Ridiculous. Exclusive. Alien. A total failure of Intelligence.
Why not use the local description of the area ? But Allround what’s the point ?
All these Name changes do is ridicule the local place and make it a non-entity in wider global terms.
Like this perverted name change of Port Elizabeth. Firstly it is an attack on my own personal identity, I am born there, and it’s my ethnic, cultural, historical identity. So the ANC can happily injure and insult my identity – is that what the teachings of Mandela are ??
Stop and reverse ALL ANC Name Changes that attack and destroy Identity.
We demand back our Human Rights !!!
What Gayton Mackenzie did was a form of speech, an example of Hyperbole perhaps, saying the area could be as prosperous as Dubai because of the gas deposits, fair enough… but this new mayor slips past Mackenzie’s dramatic and polished words that ignite desperate people’s imagination, instead, he decides on a leaden, literal understanding and way forward. Let us call the place Dubai-West! It is truly astounding this man from another part of the country gets deposited in a municipality he knows nothing about, and the first thing on the agenda is a name change. Wow