South Africa has renamed two cities, three towns and two airports in the Eastern Cape! [update]

update (25 February 2021): Pumza Fihlani from the BBC tells us how to say Gqeberha - the new Xhosa name for Port Elizabeth.

South Africa's Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, has officially announced a number of name changes for towns, cities and airports as well as spelling corrections and the official registration for existing geographical names in South Africa's Eastern Cape. The changes were published in a Government Gazette (Government Gazette Vol. 668 No. 44181) on 23 February. The Minister approved the new geographical names for the following towns, cities and airports:

• Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) > Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
• Port Elizabeth > Gqeberha
• Uitenhage > Kariega
• East London Airport (ELS) > King Phalo Airport
• King Williams Town > Qonce
• Berlin > Ntabozuko
• Maclear > Nqanqarhu

For the spelling corrections and the official registration for existing geographical names (villages, human settlements and a mountain), please see the Government Gazette (Government Gazette Vol. 668 No. 44181, 23 February 2021).