It was announced today that the Johannesburg International Airport's name will be changed to the OR Tambo International Airport. The change will most probably take place in October

Phew, that's a relief. Now Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) won't have the same name!!!!
Who or what is OR Tambo?
Peter.

Sweet, wonder how much lugage will get lost...

Pulled off of Google:

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Johannesburg International Airport will be renamed after the late Oliver Tambo, who headed the African National Congress at the height of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan told parliament on Thursday the airport would be known as OR Tambo International Airport from October 27, Tambo's birthday.
"By honouring Oliver Tambo in this manner we honour the best in all of us," Jordan said.
The name change is the most high profile move to honour the heroes of the anti-apartheid movement since Nelson Mandela led the ANC into elections in 1994 that ended white minority rule.
Oliver Reginald Tambo died in April 1993, a year before South Africa's historic all-race elections. He was at the helm of the ANC in exile in the 1970s and 1980s.
Tambo and Mandela were among the founding members of the ANC's Youth League in 1944. The youth movement injected a spirit of militancy into the ANC which is now in power in South Africa.
It is the second time that South Africa's premier airport has had a name change. It had previously been named after Jan Smuts, a former prime minister and statesman who helped found the League of Nations and the United Nations.
Twelve years on many major roads in South African cities still bear the names of white rulers, including Hendrik Verwoed, one of the architects of apartheid.
Authorities have yet to approve a controversial move to change the name of the capital Pretoria to Tshwane, after a tribal leader before the 19th century arrival of white settlers.

It amazes me how the rest of the world belives the hype about a multi-race New South Africa where EVERYONE IS EQUAL while ignoring blatant moves to erase all reference to historic whites. I'm not saying historicly significant blacks (Inidans, Maylays and coloureds) shouldn't be honored as well and to do so will undoubtedly require SOME landmarks be re-named, but trying to name every town by an African name is rediculous. This is not equality, this is re-writing history! Had it not been for three hundred years of white rule (whether just or not) S.A. would be just another African region ruled by anarchy.

Nothing like legitimizing terrorists.

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Authorities have yet to approve a controversial move to change the name of the capital Pretoria to Tshwane, after a tribal leader before the 19th century arrival of white settlers.

19th century?... Diaz in 1488, Jan van Riebeck in 1652 . More re-writing history?

remember history is all ways writen by the victors.
nothing ever changes.

People will still refer to it as the Jo'burg airport. Are they going to change the name of the city too? The old name will hang around for a long time, especially with us Americans.

Just like Salisbury? That used to be in Rhodesia.

JPK

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People will still refer to it as the Jo'burg airport.

Exactly, most people seem to only know major aiports by their city location, not actual name, like New York, paris Amsterdam. JHB is no different.

OR Tambo, why not, what difference does it make??

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Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
People will still refer to it as the Jo'burg airport. Are they going to change the name of the city too? The old name will hang around for a long time, especially with us Americans.

It used to be called "Jan Smuts Airport" (JSA) after an early SA prime minister. With the "new SA" it was changed to JIA - along with airports at all large cities assuming the name of the city in stead of being named after some politician.

Pilots still often refer to flying into "Smuts". Old habits die hard ...

Johan
Bahati Adventures

This is all part of the move to remove all of the european and afrikaans names from towns and replace them with "africanized" names. I guess it is important.

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OR Tambo, why not, what difference does it make??

A lot of people feel this way and so it will continue to happen.

Personally, it makes me feel sick.

And I feel the same way when they try to rename things in the southern U.S. that were named for Confederate Generals.

Changing with the times. This morning I was listening to XM radio channel 5 the 50's music and they were talking about a duo in the fifties the Gay sisters, H*ll they would have to have a name change today for sure.

Hell they did it in India...Mumbai = Bombay.
Peter.

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And I feel the same way when they try to rename things in the southern U.S. that were named for Confederate Generals.

Confederate generals, how about U.S. Presidents? I remember reading some years ago about a school (I think) in Georgia that was named after first president George Washington that was being renamed in accordance with a state law requiring no public facilities be named after former slave owners! All our histories - individuals, countries and races - have things we regret in the context of later times. Ellisras for instance was'nt even a place until created by whites in the mid-thirties. What purpose is served by giving it an africanized name?

As for "who cares" while in Lephelale last summer I remember one bakie with a large hand lettered sign in back that said "F_ _ _ _ Lephelale I'm staying in Ellisras". Take my word for it, people care!

I aggree some name changes seem pointless. Some change is tough to deal with for some people and in SA both Afrikaans and indiginous names are relevent, more so than english in many cases. So we will always have one camp not happy about names I guess? I think, for example chaning Pretoria to Tshwane is silly..and uneccessary, as it is our capital (well main capital).

BUT, They are Changing JIA to someones name. Whats wrong with Oliver Tambo? He isn't satan!!

Jan Smuts, Oliver Tambo, both leaders and icons, both historically significant to my country, which I love dearly. I think some people just need something to whinge about......

Afrikaans names still remain, and I hope they do, I love my second language and use it proudly but this case of renaming the airport is being totally blown out of proportion by some I think...

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Exactly, most people seem to only know major aiports by their city location, not actual name, like New York, paris Amsterdam

JFK or Lagurdia, DeGaul and Shipol (sp?) are the way that I refer to those airports, maybe I fly too much.