According to the feedback received from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture:
(a) Yes, public consultations were conducted before the names were submitted to the South African Geographical Names Council as follows: Brooksnek on 12 October 2022, Fort Beaufort on 31 October 2022, and Somerset East on 14 November 2022. These public consultation meetings were advertised in the Daily Despatch, Isolezwe lesiXhosa, and Hartland newspapers. All these meetings supported the three name changes.
(b) No polls were held before the name changes were considered. This is not provided for in the South African Geographical Names Act 118 of 1998.
(c) No feasibility studies were conducted before the name changes were considered. This is not provided for in the South African Geographical Names Act 118 of 1998.