Opinion: How geographical names help us navigate our places

By Lorraine Shabangu Every day, thousands of people move through Gauteng, guided by names they seldom stop to think about. At taxi ranks, queue marshals call out destinations as commuters listen for familiar names. Passengers alert drivers when approaching their stops, sometimes referring to a landmark rather than an official street name. E-hailing passengers share their locations, motorists follow road signs, and pedestrians give directions using shops, buildings or other familiar features. We use official names, shorten them, give places nicknames and sometimes identify locations through landmarks. These different ways of referring to places often exist alongside one another. A community may know exactly where a place is, even when the name people use does not appear on a map. The circumstances surrounding how places acquire their names also vary. Some emerge through everyday language, while others are associated with particular events or features of an area. Even the hand signals used by commuters to indicate taxi destinations, whether an index finger pointing upwards, downwards or sideways, demonstrate how people develop shared ways of identifying and navigating places. Finding our way is therefore not always dependent on what appears on a road sign or digital map. It also relies on local knowledge, familiarity and shared understandings of the places around us. As South Africa observes Transport Month, geographical names deserve greater attention for the role they play in connecting people, places and transport networks. Consider what happens when familiar routes change. Roadworks, closures and diversions can force commuters and motorists to find alternative ways of reaching their destinations. Navigation applications may offer new routes, but people still need to recognise locations and communicate clearly about where they are. An e-hailing driver may have a location pin but struggle to identify the correct entrance or pickup point. Someone unfamiliar with an area may know the official name of a destination but not the name commonly used by residents. Technology has transformed how we navigate, but it has not replaced the knowledge people hold about their surroundings. This is one reason accurate geographical naming and consistent recording matter. When names are incorrectly recorded or locations are difficult to identify, communication can become unnecessarily complicated. Although standardised names cannot resolve every navigation problem, they contribute to the reliable identification of places. The relationship between geographical names and transport is both practical and historical. A geographical name may describe a landscape feature, refer to an event or preserve knowledge about the people who lived in an area. Such names become part of how communities identify their surroundings and communicate about the places they travel through. In South Africa, this relationship cannot be separated from the country’s history. Colonialism and apartheid influenced how places were named, recorded and represented, often marginalising African languages and identities. Some geographical names reflect histories of exclusion, while others preserve knowledge and identities that communities have carried across generations. This history also raises questions about the accuracy of the names appearing on signs, maps and official records. A seemingly small spelling difference can matter greatly in an African language. It may affect how a name is understood or obscure the linguistic knowledge behind it. When inaccurate forms are repeatedly used, they can become familiar through repetition. In Gauteng, the correction of geographical names such as Tembisa to Thembisa, Tsakane to Tsakani and Tokoza to Thokoza demonstrates why spelling and orthography matter. These are not simply changes to letters on a signboard. They reflect the importance of respecting the linguistic origins of geographical names and ensuring that their standardised forms are accurately recorded and communicated. Correct geographical naming is not merely a technical matter. It involves considering the language from which a name originates, how it is pronounced, what it means and how it has been used over time. For commuters, motorists and other road users, consistent identification of places also matters. Geographical names appear across road signs, transport routes, navigation platforms and public information systems. Where different forms of a name are used, understanding the relationship between them can help avoid confusion. At the same time, not every locally used name is incorrect, and not every informal name needs to become official. Communities develop their own ways of identifying places, and these forms of local knowledge remain part of everyday navigation. This is why public participation is important in geographical naming. The Gauteng Geographical Names Committee (GGNC) considers proposals relating to naming, renaming, standardisation and correction as part of the province’s geographical naming processes. Communities hold knowledge about the places where they live, work and travel. They may know the origins of a name, its pronunciation, the circumstances surrounding its use or the local names by which a particular area is recognised. Meaningful public participation creates opportunities for residents to share this knowledge, raise questions and contribute to discussions about geographical names. It also allows naming processes to consider local experiences alongside documentary research and established procedures. As Gauteng continues to develop its transport networks and public infrastructure, geographical naming should remain part of how new and existing places are identified and communicated. A road, bridge, station or transport hub may be a physical structure, but its name becomes part of everyday life. It appears on signs, enters conversations, helps people plan journeys and becomes familiar to those who use it. The names assigned to these places should therefore be approached with care, taking into account linguistic accuracy, historical context and the communities connected to them. Transport Month offers an opportunity to look more closely at the names that guide our movement. The next time a taxi marshal calls out a destination, a navigation application directs us along an unfamiliar road or someone gives directions using a local landmark, there is an opportunity to consider more than the route itself. Where does that name come from? What does it mean? How did it become associated with the place? And are we recording and using it accurately? We spend much of our lives learning how to get from one place to another. Perhaps we should pay equal attention to the names that guide us there. Getting there starts with knowing where we are. Sometimes, understanding where we are begins with asking what our place names are telling us. Lorraine Shabangu is Deputy Chairperson of Gauteng Geographical Names Committee (GGNC)