Rude town name upsets women and splits council
Tuesday, November 13, 2001
Women in South Africa are upset at civic leaders for naming their municipality after the female sexual organ.

Ingquza, means vagina in Xhosa and anus in Zulu, which are both tribal languages. The council says the new name is derived from a local hill.

The name change has also split the council of which runs the municipality now taking in the towns of Lusikisiki and Flagstaff.

Some local people say the name is immoral and the local Commissioner for Gender Equality, Beatrice Ngcobo, says: "It is "unpalatable and disgusting".

But Mluleki Fihlane, who is leading the group that backs the new name, says: "People should not look into the name in that particular (anatomical) meaning. There is history behind the mountain and its name. We cannot waste time fighting over a name," he said.

The Mayor, Veli Ntsubane, says the council had adopted an alternative name. An adjudicator will now decide whether the municipality should keep that name or be called Ingquza.

Mayor Ntsubane told the Daily News: "We cannot have a council that could be seen as sexist or derogatory of women."

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