The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has rejected claims that he has withdrawn or rescinded the gazetted renaming of Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town, along with other geographical name changes in the Eastern Cape.
The claims were circulated on WhatsApp and social media. The messages further claimed that the review application brought by AfriForum in the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria, on the matter has been finalised.
McKenzie said the court has not ruled on the matter.
“Any claim that a court case has been won is also untrue. I have not withdrawn anything. There is no new decision, no court judgment, and no victory for anyone to celebrate. The matter is before the court, and I will respect whatever the court decides, as every South African should,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Due to the matter being before the court, the Minister can not comment on the merits of the cases.
The Minister has not withdrawn, rescinded or amended any of the geographical name changes published in the Government Gazette on 6 February 2026.
The circulating message attributes statements to Samantha Graham-Maré MP. The Ministry cannot verify whether she made them.
The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture has confirmed that it has issued no communication to her or to anyone else announcing a withdrawal.
The Ministry urges members of the public, the media and public representatives to verify information with the Department before sharing it.
Official communication from the Ministry and the Department is published on http://dsac.gov.za and on DSAC’s official social media platforms. -SAnews.gov.za
