A recreation ground has been renamed after a “world-renowned Haringey resident” – anti-apartheid activist Oliver Reginald Tambo.

Albert Road Recreation Ground in Muswell Hill will become O.R. Tambo Recreation Ground after senior councillors approved the renaming at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

O.R. Tambo was a South African anti-apartheid activist who was president of the African National Congress between 1967 and 1991.

He lived in exile in Haringey for nearly three decades after leaving South Africa in 1960, settling with his family in Muswell Hill and regularly visiting the recreation ground.

Council leader Cllr Joseph Ejiofor told the meeting: “O.R. Tambo is a world-renowned Haringey resident, and his lasting contribution to anti-apartheid and the equal rights movement is the basis upon which we are renaming this park.

“People are often uncomfortable with change. Some people will ask why place names, street names and statues matter.

“We believe that they matter because, as a society, who we choose to elevate, commemorate and celebrate reflects the values that we place on these people and the communities they represent.

“Furthermore, it reinforces the belief that their life achievements can be a role model for others. Changing the name of a park or a statue does not eradicate racial injustice on its own, but it is one of the tangible steps we can take that ultimately make that wider change happen.”

The recreation ground features two memorials to Mr Tambo, which were donated by the people of South Africa through the South African High Commission.

Enfield Independent: Cllr Ejiofor with the statue of O.R. Tambo (Image: Haringey Council)Cllr Ejiofor with the statue of O.R. Tambo (Image: Haringey Council)

A public consultation that drew 730 responses revealed 51 per cent were in favour of renaming the park, which is thought to have taken its original name from Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria.

Cllr Ejiofor also revealed further details of the council’s wider review of monument, building, place and street names in Haringey, which was announced following the Black Lives Matter demonstrations last summer.

In response to a question from Cllr Tammy Palmer (Lib Dem, Crouch End), Cllr Ejiofor said the council would set up a formal process to consult on further proposed renamings within the next three months.