The decision to rename four streets in downtown Joburg was
taken by the Mayoral Council in September 2014. The move is supported by the Johannesburg Heritage
Foundation, a community-based organisation that has been a watchdog over the preservation of the City’s rich history
for more than three decades.

The renaming initiative gained momentum last year when the Freedom of the City was
awarded to four activists who played prominent roles in the struggle for democracy and led the well-known
Women’s March to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956.

• Bree Street has been renamed to Lilian Ngoyi Street.

Ngoyi
was a textile worker and mother of three from Orlando who joined the liberation struggle at an early age
and rose to become the Secretary General of the ANC Women’s League and National Chairman of the Federation of
South African Women. Her outspoken defiance against the injustices of apartheid resulted in her being
charged with high treason, banned and placed under house arrest. She remained a beacon of strength to the
liberation movement up to her death in 1980.

• Jeppe Street has been named after community activist,
Rahima Moosa.

From humble beginnings as a worker in a canning factory and with little formal education
this formidable woman was a guiding influence on the struggle for freedom struggle for more than five decades. As
a member of the Transvaal Indian Congress she led the initiatives to unite the liberation movement and to
mobilise workers into effective and powerful trade unions.

ʉۢ President Street is now known as Helen Joseph Street.

Joseph was an indomitable fighter for freedom and justice for more than six decades. As a founding member
of the Congress of Democrats she was a major organiser of the Congress of the People in Kliptown in 1955
where the Freedom Charter was adopted as the guiding document for the liberation struggle. Decades of
banning and house arrests and repeated assassination attempts could not silence her voice and she remained a
powerful political force until her passing in 1992.

• Sauer Street has been renamed to Pixley ka Isaka Seme
Street.

Pixley ka Isaka Seme was one of the founders of the African National Congress and later served
as its President (1930 – 1936). He had a law degree from Oxford University and was the first black lawyer to
practice in South Africa where he served as a mentor to a number of young activists who later played key roles in the
liberation struggle. He died in Johannesburg in 1951.

• Noord Street becomes Sophie de Bruyn Street, named after
the only living leader of the Women’s March.

As a founding member of the South African Congress of Trade
Unions and a full-time organiser of the Coloured People’s Congress she played a critical role in mobilising
communities to protest against injustice. She continued to serve a democratic South Africa through vital contributions
as a Member of Parliament, Deputy Speaker of the Gauteng Legislature and member of the Commission on Gender
Equality.

In terms of the Council’s decisions dual signage containing
both old and new names will be retained for a maximum of 12 months to enable members of the community to
familiarise themselves with the changes. Maps and street addresses will be changed during this period and
modern technology will support the transition on GPS and internet platforms.

(http://randclub.co.za/events/newsletter/)

http://www.sahistory.org.za/content/leaders-1955-womens-march-holding-petitions-against-passes-0