Mthetwa approves new names for Port Elizabeth and PE Airport

According to a notice in the government gazette on Monday, Mthetwa said he approved the change from Port Elizabeth, described as a city in Nelson Mandela Bay, to Gqeberha.

The PE International Airport will change to the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, after the Khoi chief who was born near the Gamtoos River in circa 1773.

Stuurman was a political activist who fought against the Dutch and British colonial administration and his exploits included escaping twice from Robben Island.

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In 1820 he was sentenced to life imprisonment on the penal settlement at New South Wales in Australia.  In 2017 a spiritual repatriation of Stuurman’s spirit took place with a second ceremony at the Sarah Baartman Heritage site in Hankey.

Meanwhile, Minister Mthetwa also approved the geographical name change for Uitenhage, which, according to the gazette, is now Kariega.

King William’s Town is now Qonce while East London airport is now the King Phalo Airport.