The colonial era school name "Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck" needs to change. Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck is located on the foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa and the name represents a colonial era figure, unfitting for a diverse and multicultural South African school. 

Just like street names, school names communicate powerful messages about cities’ political history as well as power relations. Following South Africa’s democratic dispensation in 1994, the nation has experienced a significant ‘toponymic metamorphosis’ with many of her streets having been renamed, largely for commemorative purposes (Mkhize 2012). As such, the street renaming project in South African municipalities has seen the substitution of most colonial and apartheid-affiliated names with names of political struggle heroes.

Hoërskool Jan Van Riebeeck needs to be committed to the redress of the wrongs of the past and to build an even stronger institution that every African, including all the residents of Cape Town, can be proud of. And it would be difficult to do so while sharing a name with JVR.

Some suggestions that have been mentioned include:

• Hoërskool Desmond Tutu (human rights activist)
• ǁHui ǃGaeb Hoërskool (Khoisan for "where the clouds gather")
• Hoërskool Kaapstad (Afrikaans name for Cape Town) 
• Hoërskool Fynbos (local vegetation) 
• Hoërskool David Stuurman (Khoi Chief and early political activist)

• Winnie Mandela High School (anti-apartheid activist) 
• Hoërskool H Suzman (anti-apartheid activist) 

But ideally a call for suggestions should be made, prior to the name being selected democratically by the local community.

Despite Western Cape schools having the option to change their apartheid-era names since 2015, there’s been little movement from this school to do so. The Western Cape Education Department has called on schools to apply, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the Hoërskool Jan Van Riebeeck School Governing Body and principal, Pieter Rademeyer, to inform the education department of their intention so.

In addition to this we plead on the school to stop using the Orange, Blue & White colours (Oranje, Blanje & Blou) throughout the school branding, an ugly reminder of the old South Africa. Support of the old South African colours are clearly visible on the school website ( https://janvanriebeeck.co.za/ ).