Last Wednesday Grocott’s Mail hosted a constructive debate about whether the name of Grahamstown should be changed or not.
Last Wednesday Grocott’s Mail hosted a constructive debate about whether the name of Grahamstown should be changed or not.
We describe it as constructive because we accomplished precisely what we set out to achieve – an orderly exchange of ideas about a highly emotive issue.
The four panellists – two speaking for name-change and two against – were efficient in keeping to their allotted time and largely kept to the point. Many of the opinions expressed were not new – but this is not surprising, as the debate has been going on for more than five years without any noticeable shift in positioning. The discussion was robust, as panellists and members of the audience who contributed to the debate had some harsh words to say, but a wide range of divergent views was aired in a public forum.
There was no conclusion to the debate. It did not produce a verdict on whether the name Grahamstown should be dropped or not. We were happy with this outcome because Grocott’s Mail merely wanted to provide a platform for discussion. We would have been astonished if anyone had come out of City Hall saying the debate changed their mind.
While we were pleased with the event, not everyone shared our views. For example, Councillor Devon Waldick said it was too short (one hour) and should have gone on for three hours.
Members of the ANC Youth League complained after the debate that their members had not known about it, so they'd been denied the opportunity to present their views.
It appears they did not know about the debate because they do not read Grocott’s Mail, nor do they check out our website or Facebook entries.
It would also appear that the local ANC Youth League does not communicate with the ANC, because the editor of this newspaper personally informed senior members of the ruling party in Makana about the debate and how it would be run.
Perhaps the ANC Youth League would do well to persuade its members to read newspapers and go online so they might become better-informed and more responsible citizens.
The Youth League could also encourage the youth to work harder at school, so they can not only participate in civic debates but also contribute well thought-out letters to this and other newspapers.
We were also challenged about hosting the debate at the City Hall and not in some other venue.
The explanation is quite logical – the debate is about the name of Grahamstown, so we decided to host it at the place where Grahamstown is administered and where the proposals for the name-change were made.
The City Hall is the focal point of the name change debate, therefore it is an ideal place to host a debate about this issue.
We made it very clear that the Grocott’s Mail debate is not part of the municipality’s consultation process. The ruling party in the Makana City Council has made a commitment to consulting with the broader community and to sharing with residents a series of video recordings that were made of a consultative process that took place in 2008.
We presume that the ANC Youth League will have an opportunity to present its views at these consultations.
