On Tuesday, the City of Johannesburg will hold an event to officially unveil the Winnie Mandela Drive. Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda will officially unveil Winnie Mandela Drive at George Lea Park, Corner William Nicol Drive, which from Tuesday, will be officially known as Winnie Mandela Drive.

The launch of Winnie Mandela Drive, falls on the birthday of the late struggle icon. Winnie Mandela, born Nomzamo Winifred Madikizela would have turned 87 on Tuesday. Winnie, who was married to international icon Nelson Mandela died on 2 April 2018. 

In a statement by the City of Joburg, they said, "Cllr. Gwamanda, will officially unveil the renaming of William Nicol Drive to Winnie Mandela Drive - a profound tribute to the cherished "Mother of the Nation" and esteemed resident of the city".

The City of Joburg made its intentions known that they wanted the William Nicol Drive, one of busiest roads in the north of Johannesburg, to be named after Winnie Mandela, who was a darling to many and a controversial figure to others. 

In the statement, they said: "In 2018, the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Council embarked on an initiative, which sought to rename the iconic William Nicol Drive to Winnie Mandela Drive, paying a heartfelt tribute to the esteemed liberation stalwart, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The City Council is delighted to announce the successful conclusion of the council processes pertaining to the renaming. This milestone reflects the city?s deep commitment to preserving the memory and legacy of the iconic Winnie Madikizela-Mandela." But it was not an easy task as the Democratic Alliance (DA) opposed the renaming of the public road. 

The DA opposed the renaming saying that The City and businesses cannot afford to waste money on this renaming during an economic crisis, and this exercise is just a distraction for the ANC's failings to delivery services to Johannesburg residents. They also said William Nicol Drive is the responsibility of the province and the City therefore has no jurisdiction over it and renaming should be avoided when there are significant costs - not only to the City, but also to businesses and other stakeholders.

"Insufficient public consultation with affected stakeholders, no notice to councillors in the affected wards, and a lack of public notices," they noted adding that, "There are already roads and schools named after Winnie Mandela and the policy says that there should be no duplication of names within the City." 

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Despite this event is going ahead and meanwhile, the Johannesburg Road Agency has issued a traffic advisory to inform the public and commuters about the road closures and lane reductions at the Winnie Mandela Drive (formerlyWilliam Nicol Drive)/ Sandton Drive intersection, which may cause delays on the day from 09:30am until 12:00 midday.