Celebrating Our Heritage

Celebrating Our Heritage

South Africans have been celebrating Heritage Day since 1996. It was the dawn of a new era for South Africans – a time in which we came together as one and initiated a democracy for all South Africans no matter your colour, creed or cultural background.

Our nation is as diverse as the beautiful areas of our country and our heritage is made up of where we come from, what we stand for and where we are heading as a nation – our past, present and future.

National Braai Day is also celebrated on Heritage Day, an event that further celebrates and encourages South Africans to break bread (in this case a chop and wors), together and reflect on our rich culture and history, lighting the way for a brighter future as one nation with one collective aim – celebrating our diversity and being Proudly South African in thought, action and words.

Getting together for a braai with friends and family is not the only way we commemorate our heritage.

Our Flag

Our flag is the third most recognised flag in the world. It is a symbol of the abundance of our natural resources, the hardship, determination and perseverance we endured for a democratic society and the hope for joy and love for our country.

Wave our flag with pride by being true ambassadors for South Africa wherever we may find ourselves.

Our National Anthem

Our anthem was composed in 5 languages, combining NkosiSikelel’ iAfrika and the Call of South Africa. Quite a few South Africans do not know all the words to our national anthem, learn them off by heart by singing along to the video below.

Download our National Anthem in pictures here

Heritage Sites

How many of our Heritage sites have you visited? South Africa has got 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. World Heritage Sites recognise and protect areas of outstanding natural, historical and cultural value.

CULTURAL
• Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs
• Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
• Robben Island
• Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape

MIXED
• UKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park

NATURAL
• Cape Floral Region Protected Areas
• Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park
• Vredefort Dome

South Africa consists of beautiful places and people. Maybe your way of discovering South Africa afresh is by just visiting a town or tourist attraction that you haven’t been to before.

Have you ever been up the cable car in Cape Town or visited the castle? You definitely don’t need to be a tourist to enjoy the many splendours South Africa has to offer.

Local is Lekker

By buying and supporting local products we not only boost our economy, but also help sustain our cultural heritage. Mrs Balls Chutney, Marmite, boerewors, koeksisters, Ouma’s Rusks, biltong, breyani makes up part of what makes us proud to be South Africans.

Host a Safari Dinner party and get all your guests to make a dish that is unique to their particular South African heritage.

Talk the Talk

Communication opens up the door to understanding other cultures and finding common ground or interesting points of difference.

South Africa has 11 official languages. Take the time to learn another one of the languages some of your fellow South Africans speak.

Next time you meet a fellow South African that speaks a home language different than yours, you might be able to join in conversation in their mother tongue and learn more about what makes then uniquely South African.

Braai Tips

For those of you that will have a braai on Heritage Day, here are a few tips for a great braai:

• Wood is the best for a braai – Rooikrans and Blackwattle are good, just make sure the wood is dry. Never braai with indigenous wood.
• Have enough ice at your braai – a braai is known for making all attendees thirsty!
• To prevent wors from bursting on the grill, dip the wors in water right before cooking it. This will prevent it from splitting open.
• Always use fresh meat that has not been frozen before. Fresh meat is juicier and more succulent when done. Remember to rather undercook your steaks, once it’s over cooked, there’s no going back.
•  The best tip for any braai, however, is to always make sure you have good company, enough to drink and great meat – don’t forget the braaibroodjies and potato salad, no braai is complete without them!