South Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park could get a new name under a provincial proposal that has reignited arguments over how the country should confront its past and protect its tourism brand.
The park, renamed in 1926 to honour Paul Kruger, a 19th-Century president of the former South African Republic, draws nearly a million visitors a year to see elephants, lions, leopards, hippos and other wildlife. Admired by many Afrikaners as a symbol of resistance to British rule, Kruger is viewed by others as emblematic of a racist order that dispossessed Black communities.
In September, lawmakers from the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Mpumalanga, where part of the park lies, backed a motion urging a name change. The EFF initially floated “Skukuza,” the Tsonga nickname of the park’s first warden James Stevenson-Hamilton, but later acknowledged objections from land claimants who say he expelled residents and communities in the park’s early years.
Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum condemned the proposal as political posturing and vowed legal challenges if due process is ignored, arguing Kruger’s role in establishing the reserve is being erased.
Tourism specialists warned that a rebrand could dent a sector that contributes close to a tenth of GDP, citing costs and potential confusion in global markets. “It could dilute the park’s recognition as a cornerstone of South Africa’s tourism offering,” said one academic, while also noting the need to honour indigenous heritage.
The motion carries no legal force. Any change must pass through the South African Geographical Names Council’s multistep process, including public consultation and a recommendation to the minister of sports, arts and culture. The council’s chair said the provincial move amounts to political point-scoring and stressed that a national landmark like Kruger would require coordination across departments.
South Africa has renamed numerous places since 1994 to break with apartheid and colonial legacies, from Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha and Johannesburg’s main airport to OR Tambo. Whether Kruger joins that list now rests with a national process likely to test sensitivities over history, identity and economic priorities.