Johannesburg’s street renaming drive is reshaping the city’s identity, replacing apartheid-era legacies with names that celebrate black and female figures, but gaps in inclusivity remain.
According to the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO), street names were more than just geographic markers; they symbolised power and dominance, reinforcing a narrative that sidelined the contributions of women and black people in South Africa’s history and culture.
“Following the country’s political freedom, governments at municipal, provincial and national levels have renamed many streets and public places in an effort to decolonise urban space and reflect a post-apartheid society.”
The GCRO noted that in June 2023, it mapped the gender and racial composition of Pretoria/Tshwane’s renamed streets.
In October 2025, the focus shifts to Johannesburg, where it will plot the racial and gender makeup of renamed streets and reflect on the symbolic role of the City’s renaming initiatives. The analysis draws on a partial database compiled from Johannesburg Metropolitan Council resolutions, mapped using updated spatial data from OpenStreetMaps.
The group noted that Johannesburg’s Street renaming efforts have achieved a more balanced racial representation among the city’s 49 renamed streets.
“Before the street name-changes were effected, 22 streets were named after white figures, 27 were not named after persons, and none were named after black, African, Asian/Indian and coloured people. Post-renaming, 39 streets reflect black people’s names, 5 are named after white people, and 5 are not named after a person.
“A similar pattern is evident in gender representation. Pre-renaming, 20 street names were male, 2 were female, and 27 were not named after persons. After renaming, 28 streets honour women, 16 commemorate men, and 5 are not named after a person. Johannesburg’s renaming has arguably also elevated the profile of black and female figures in that they are increasingly featuring on the signposts of central roads and major arterials across the municipality,” the GCRO stated.
A similar shift is visible in gender representation, increasing recognition of women across the city.
The organisation emphasised that, despite progress, Johannesburg still has significant room to improve gender and racial representation in future street renaming projects.
“There is also a substantial opportunity to elevate the voices of other marginalised groups, including sexual minorities, within the South African urban landscape,” it stated.
Previously, Johannesburg’s Street renaming projects have stirred controversy, as efforts to decolonise public spaces clash with concerns over budget constraints and political sensitivities.
In 2024, the City of Johannesburg faced backlash when political parties opposed renaming Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive, calling it inappropriate since Khaled had no direct contribution to the city’s development.
The proposal ignited debate, with critics questioning its historical relevance, cultural appropriateness, and political implications for Johannesburg.
In November last year, Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie explained that the cost implications of renaming streets typically cover public consultations, including advertisements in community newspapers and radio, as well as honoraria for members of the Provincial Geographical Names Committee (PGNC) and the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) involved in processing the names.
Khaled, 81, is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and was part of a group that hijacked a TWA flight on a journey from Rome to Tel Aviv in 1969.
The Star