Harrow Road

RELATED LINKS: Keep Left on Slovo Street TO commemorate the death of Joe Slovo 10 years ago, the South African Communist Party has approached the City of Johannesburg to name a road in his honour. Read more New street names for Joburg THE council has approved a proposal to have the names of streets, townships and public places changed to reflect the democratic changes the country has undergone since 1994. Read more Mayor launches renamed Newtown streets JOHANNESBURG Mayor Councillor Amos Masondo has officially announced the renaming of 10 Newtown streets after a number of South African cultural icons. Read more The word on the street is change IT IS official. Street names in Johannesburg's cultural hub, Newtown, have been changed to reflect a range of South Africa's cultural icons. Read more Newtown streets to get new arty names TEN names reflecting modern artists and musicians have been proposed as new street names in Newtown, following a council decision in February to change the names to reflect a broader spectrum of South African performers and their contribution to society. Read more

Name change urged for Harrow Road HARROW Road may soon be renamed after anti-apartheid stalwart Joe Slovo, who grew up in the areas the street runs through. July 20, 2005 By Anish Abraham HARROW Road may be renamed Joe Slovo Drive after the City put in motion a process to rename the busy street. The new name that has been suggested will honour the contribution made by Slovo to the struggle for democracy. The request was put forward by the South African Communist Party (SACP), of which Slovo was a member, on the tenth anniversary of the anti-apartheid stalwart's death. According to Amanda Nair, the executive director of the department of development planning, transportation and environment, "The proposal is in full compliance with the City's policy and implementation strategy for the naming and renaming of townships, streets and public places in the jurisdiction of the City of Johannesburg." Proposals for the name change have been advertised recently in public areas, giving the public 28 days to put forward their comments or objections. Public comment Nair says people should be allowed to express their views freely regarding renaming streets, to protect their constitutional rights. Giving the public a month to comment fulfills this duty. The Public Planning Tribunal will then consider feedback from the ward committee and the public, and make a recommendation on the name change. The final decision will be taken when the planning department takes the proposed change to the local authority. Harrow Road stretches from St Andrews Street in Houghton to Saratoga Avenue in Doornfontein. It forms the boundary between the suburbs of Berea and Yeoville and has about 93 erven along its route, used mainly for residential purposes. Once the decision has been taken to rename a street, the South African Police Service and emergency services, the post office, Telkom, the surveyor-general's office and the Johannesburg Roads Agency must all be notified. Joe Slovo Apart from being involved in various activities of the SACP and the ANC, Slovo was minister of housing in the Government of National Unity. His connection with the areas around Harrow Road goes back to his parents' arrival in the country from Lithuania. He attended the Jewish Government School from 1935 to 1937, Observatory Junior (1937 to 1939), Yeoville Boys' (1939 to 1940) and finally Observatory Junior High School (1940). Slovo also lived in the suburbs of Yeoville and Observatory. Barring any problems, the department hopes to implement the name change with respect to boards, gantries and signs towards the end of September. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za