Social Justice Approach and Street Renaming: A Case of the City of Tshwane, South Africa

The paper sought to explore social justice as a phenomenon that was achieved through the renaming of the streets in the City of Tshwane. The naming and renaming of streets and public places are a potent phenomenon around the globe as they are seen as a way of preserving people's cultural heritage as well as memorialising and commemorating the prominent people of their respective communities, besides serving as points of cultural identification. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if the renaming of streets in the City of Tshwane achieved inclusivity and respect for human rights as guided by the social justice theory. The paper used a qualitative approach and adopted a case study research design, where 15 participants were selected to partake in the study. It was found that the new street names resemble the city's cosmopolitan nature, that is, a multilingual, multicultural, and multiracial city. Therefore, the findings of the study emphasised public participation, representation, identification, reconciliation and reparation, commemoration, and respect for human rights as essential aspects in the attainment of social justice when naming and renaming streets and other prominent places.