By: Natasha Archary

The City of Johannesburg’s (COJ) proposal to rename Sandton Drive after pro-Palestinian liberation fighter, Leila Khaled has been met with resistance.
ActionSA said the party will leave no stone unturned to vote against the proposal which offers residents no benefits and is just a costly endeavour.
Funzi Ngobeni, ActionSA Gauteng Chairperson said instead of renaming a street that is perfectly appropriate as it stands, the City should focus on addressing the 81,000 street lights which are not working, or the 1,000 potholes that are reported
“As ActionSA, we will leave no stone unturned to lobby all political parties in the City of Johannesburg to vote against this proposal as we believe it offers no benefits whatsoever to the residents of our great city.
There are more pressing issues including service delivery failures, crippling water shortages, rampant unemployment, severe housing shortages, crumbling infrastructure and rising crime rates.
Therefore, diverting our attention and very scarce resources to name-changing a street name that is not even offensive to anyone will be a demonstration of a tone-deaf administration.”
Khaled was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and became a pro-Palestine struggle icon after she became the first woman to hijack a plane.
She gained prominence for her role in the 1969 hijacking of TWA Flight 840 and the Dawson’s Field hijackings. Khaled was imprisoned and later released in a prisoner exchange for civilian hostages.
Now 80 years old, Khaled lives in Amman, Jordan.
The COJ announced the proposal to rename Sandton Drive after Leila Khaled on 18 September and the public has 28 days to submit comments regarding the move.
#JoburgUpdates
— City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) September 23, 2024
The City of Joburg is proposing to rename Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive. We invite comments from interested and affected parties within 28 days of this notice via email to [email protected] or [email protected] for more info.#JoburgTransport… pic.twitter.com/fW63rXsDe1
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