JOHANNESBURG—Officials in South Africa’s biggest city, Johannesburg, have proposed renaming a major road after a Palestinian woman who was involved in the hijacking of passenger jets more than 50 years ago. Sandton Drive, on which the United States Embassy is located, is in an area often referred to as “Africa’s richest square mile.” Kenny Kunene, deputy leader of South Africa’s Patriotic Alliance party, which opposes the name change, told The Epoch Times the proposal is an attempt to “humiliate” the United States.
“If the name of Sandton Drive is changed to Leila Khaled Drive, American diplomats and officials across South Africa will be forced to reprint business cards and receive correspondence bearing the name of a terrorist who voices hatred against America,” Kunene said. “The U.S.
consulate’s website will also obviously bear Leila Khaled’s name, which will be a slap in the face of America and an insult to a country that does a lot of business in South Africa.” An American official working in Johannesburg, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Epoch Times: “I don’t want to drive a daily route named after a Palestinian hijacker. “It’s difficult to not see the [proposed] renaming of Sandton Drive as a kind of childish lashing out at the United States.
“It’s spiteful, vindictive, and petty. There are plenty of roads to rename in Johannesburg, why choose the one that’s synonymous with the U.S.
Embassy? “Why have a Leila Khale.
