Microsoft Word - PhD Thesis Final.pdf - University of Limpopo ...

occupied land. Their policies on land, administration, politics and all other
aspects of life, totally changed the communal setups of communities.
Today the communal entities created by the surveying, fencing off and
purchase of farms are still villages which are distinct from one another. Each
an every communal entity – a village – bears its own distinct name, and in
most cases such names are still European, indicating that they were named
under former European authorities who were in control at that time. Such
European names of villages in Makgabeng include Early Dawn, Old
Langsyne, Norma, Harrietswish, Gemarke, Schoongezicht and Milbank, to
name just few examples. However, the current democratisation of South
Africa brought with it the need for transformation, and the change of names
is one of the priorities in the new dispensation. As a result, the process of
changing names of communal entities in areas such as those in Makgabeng
is underway, even though this may not necessarily change the communal
character of those villages.
The current process of changing names of farms and villages in the
Makgabeng area – and in the whole South Africa – is provided for by the
South African Geographical Names Council Act (Act No. 118 of 1998). This
Act provides for the establishment of the South African Geographical
Names Council (SAGNC), which is a body responsible in standardising
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