The high cost of heritage

King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s call to excise “Natal” from the province’s name is rooted in an undeniable historical logic.

For many, the term, given to the province by Vasco da Gama in 1497, remains a vestige of colonial rule, a linguistic reminder of a time when indigenous identity was systematically suppressed. In a country still healing from its past, the impulse toward decolonisation is not merely aesthetic; it is a matter of restoring dignity. And as the custodian of Zulu culture, the King is right to initiate a conversation about the "place of the Zulu".

However, symbolism must unfortunately eventually collide with the sobering reality of South Africa’s economic situation. Experts warn that changing from "KwaZulu-Natal" to simply “KwaZulu” would incur a price tag running into the billions. This is not just about changing letterheads; it involves a massive overhaul of legislative frameworks, digital databases, provincial branding, and the monumental administrative task of updating every vehicle registration in the province, not to mention changing plates - again. For an institution like the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the ripple effects, from degree certificates to international indexing, could cost hundreds of millions alone.

In this context, we must ask: what does the average citizen need most? Our province is a region under siege from multiple crises. We are still reeling from the 2021 unrest and catastrophic floods. Our municipalities are frequently dysfunctional, our hospitals are understaffed, water leaks everywhere and taps run dry, and our schools face desperate infrastructure backlogs. Most pressing of course is the scourge of crime and a stagnant economy that has left our youth sidelined.

To spend billions on a name change while police stations lack vehicles and clinics lack staff and medicines would add insult to injury. As noted by critics, when leaders cannot fix fundamental problems, they often turn to things they can change - like names. But a name change will not pave a road or staff a ward. The money envisaged for this rebrand would be better spent on the daily existence of the people. We cannot eat a name; we require service delivery.