Bo Kaap residents descended on a Pick n Pay store on in Bo-Kaap last week, demanding it be renamed after their suburb.
The Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association was unhappy that the store, in Strand Street, had been named Pick n Pay De Waterkant describing that name as “insensitive”.
In addition to have the store renamed, the residents also demanded an undertaking that the store would not sell alcohol.
We, the Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association, have noted with grave concern the insensitive naming of your store located in the 117 Strand Street Building, Bo-Kaap, to Pick n Pay De Waterkant. It is highly insensitive, and we see it as a violation of our borders,” the association said in a statement.
“This action is reminiscent of the apartheid forced removals of the people of Bo-Kaap from the now De Waterkant area, that was part of Bo-Kaap, as is evident in the location of the Vos Street Mosque.”
They demanded an immediate name change, that the store provided meaningful employment opportunities for local residents and that it not sell alcohol. The association said it would stop at nothing to defend its heritage.
Pick Pay spokesperson Janine Caradonna said the retail giant had agreed to the name change.
“Our new store in Strand Street is designed to serve customers in Bo Kaap, De Waterkant and Green Point, as well as those living on the Atlantic Seaboard and in town,” said Caradonna.
“We were happy to approach the naming of the new store with an open mind and we have agreed to call it our Bo-Kaap store.”
More: Herald Live