On Wednesday, those opposed to renaming Sandton Drive in honour of Palestinian activist Leila Khaled, best known for her involvement in plane hijackings, protested against the City of Johannesburg proposal while supporters say it would honour SA and Palestine's shared heritage.

Protesters who gathered at the City of Johannesburg's offices in Braamfontein on Wednesday, 27 November, claimed that renaming Sandton Drive after former Palestinian activist Leila Khaled would be in contrast to South Africa's values of reconciliation and peace-building.

The protest was supported by former Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse, who said the renaming motion had been moved during her time in office.

"I was a councillor in 2018 when this motion came to council," said Phalatse.

"Our hope was that the voice of the residents of Johannesburg would be upheld through public participation."

Phalatse said an independent public participation process revealed an outright rejection of this motion by Joburg residents. The city received an unprecedented number of public comments on the proposal.

"Yet the city alleges that the motion enjoys the support of residents. This calls for an audit of the city's process," she said.

The motion for the renaming of the street was advanced by the Al Jama-ah party.

The DA caucus opposed the motion, but it went through. According to Phalatse, the motion was opposed due to Khaled's involvement in what was described as terrorism. As a...