As Heritage Day is celebrated across the country, different South Africans are sharing what heritage means to them and how their roots shape their lives today.
From Zulu and Venda to Tswana and Khoisan traditions, their voices echo one message: that heritage is not something to be outsourced but something to be lived.
Storyteller and cultural figure Mbuso Khoza says heritage is not simply about the past but a living practice that breathes through daily life.
According to Khoza, the Zulu story should not be reduced to the wars that made them famous under King Shaka.
"Our history is not just about battles. Yes, we had wars and strong leaders like King Shaka Zulu, but more than anything it's about resilience and unity, the ability of our people to adapt, to survive and to thrive, no matter the challenges we face," Khoza said.
Khoza said the Zulu nation, while emerging in the 19th century in what is now KwaZulu-Natal, was rooted in the broader Nguni identity before being consolidated as a kingdom.
On the question of heritage, Khoza is clear it's about passing down stories, values and practices to the next generation, so they know where they come from and why it matters.
Khoza also shared his views on lobola (bride price), saying it should never be reduced to money or transactions. "At its heart it's about families coming together because of love and respect. It's a bridge between families and like all traditions, it must evolve with time, while still carrying the essence of unity it was created for."
Expanding on the genealogy of Zulu leadership, Khoza said when we speak of the Zulu dynasty we are going back to Nguni.
"Shaka himself was much younger in this dynasty, but his role was to crystallise a long lineage of leadership."
On the relationship between history, tradition and culture, Khoza said history records events, cultures are formed, traditions are how we practise those cultures daily and culture itself is human creativity. "The ways we express ourselves, whether in music, farming or how we dress — they all connect."
When asked about the new law that allows men to take their wives' surnames, Khoza said as an African man it is unnatural.
For actor and entrepreneur Gabriel Temudzani, who played Chief Azwinndini Muwevho in Muvhango, heritage is about continuity and responsibility.
"I feel like us as African people, we are doing injustice to our heritage and by so doing, I feel like we are failing our future generations — because heritage is not something that you outsource or subscribe to; it's something that is alive and needs to be embraced whole heartedly," he said.
"Heritage should be our way of life and it encompasses a lot of things, from our language, our registry, our culture, the food we eat and an array of other things, including our tourist attractions."
Temudzani takes pride in the richness of Venda history and culture, pointing to its dances, traditions and leaders.
"The Venda culture is very rich and very diverse. I like arguing that if there are two cultures that are on top in South Africa, it is the Zulu and the Venda culture — because they are rich characters and elements that they infuse or embody.
"Look at how we go about our traditional dances and what the traditional dances embrace or mean when we dance and use them as a way to bring us together, so I think we have a very rich heritage and history."
According to Temudzani, Venda history stretches far back to central Africa, from the Congo to Musina.
Asked about traditional Venda attire, Temudzani said it's unfortunate that people abandon it but then embrace things similar other cultures.
"Things like Shedo and Tsindi are very important and very symbolic to our culture. As somebody who has travelled the world, I think what other people are selling is nothing but their history, their culture and their heritage, including the food that they eat. But when it comes to us here at home, we are failing to monetise those things."
Temudzani said among the places one can visit in Venda when one wants to learn about the culture and heritage is:
- Ditike, where one focus on tourism attractions, culture and heritage
- the University of Venda; and
- Phiphidi Mahovhohovhoni, where "you'll find a tour guide who will assist you"; and
- Mapungubwe heritage site.
When asked about modernising the traditions and culture, Temudzani said there is no way we can not evolve as people but we should be careful when trying to modernise and incorporate culture.
"I've also heard about this new law that a man can now take a women's surname. I mean, what nonsense is that? To say the least, it can't be that I take my women's surname and take pride in that. What am I saying to the future generation? What kind of legacy am I leaving behind? If that women divorces me, what's going to happen to me? What am I saying to my children? Especially boy children."
Kabelo Jantjies, known as "Mrs J", was part of the reality show The Mommy Club. She is now a bishop and spiritual healer and married to a Xhosa man.
A common stereotype she has heard about spiritually gifted people is that they don't pray or believe in God, which is not true, she said.
According to Mrs J, a woman needs to follow her husband's traditions, along with their kids.
"For my kids, they are following both traditions. We do have a boy and in Xhosa culture he knows that he needs to go to initiation, which in the Tswana culture is not a big deal," she said. "They are aware that mommy is Tswana and daddy is Xhosa, so we speak all the languages."
Mrs J told TimesLIVE she wants her kids to be taught Tswana in school, as well as their heritage and where they come from. "Something I used to love when I was a kid is the idioms, such as ngwana yo o sa lleng, o swela tharing [the child that doesn't cry will die in the sling] and motho ke motho ka batho [a person is a person because of other people]. I still use them, even today."
Continue to stay rooted, make sure you don't drift because you see other cultures. Believe in yourself and your culture, be proud of who you are, respect yourself and your cultures
— Nondumiso Sihlangu
She said how people celebrate Heritage Day is worrying because people think of food and fashion when it's much more than that.
Jantjies reflected back on her lobola ceremony, talking about the cultural shocks she experienced. She told TimesLIVE they drove for 10 hours from Pretoria to the Eastern Cape with the sour brown pap she had prepared for her in-laws as the new makoti. "Even today, I'm not sure they ate that pap. They listened to us explaining the pap just to be polite."
She said she was shocked when she got to her in-laws and they covered her with a blanket for the husband to pick. "If he choses the wrong person, we go back and they pay. They also put a black doek on you, to cover your eyes. They wiped up all my makeup and I had to sit with my head down the whole time."
Mrs J said she was given Utsiki (sheep's meat served with sour milk). The meat had no salt and they said it was to introduce the bride to the family's ancestors.
According to Mrs J, people are using lobola as a business, charging high prices. "The reason why there is lobola is to start a relationship between two families. It's really not about his family 'buying' your child."
On the issue of a man taking a woman's surname, Mrs J said it's OK to take your women's surname as most men who are using their mother's surnames tend to find comfort and a home within a woman's home.
Keeping your surname as a woman when you get married is important, she added.
"I am not a real Jantjies — the kids are the real Jantjies, I do think it depends on your preference as a person."
Speaking for the Khoisan and coloured people, Larry Varrie, a missionary and leader of the Greater Aboriginal Community Council of Southern Africa, says the term coloured is an apartheid-era legal category.
"My true identity is Khoisan — the first nation of Southern Africa," he said. "Khoisan culture is the root culture of Southern Africa. The so-called coloured culture was an apartheid invention, a legal label. What survives today is a blended culture of survival — but at its heart it is Khoisan heritage."
Varrie recalls historic figures such as Autshumato, Krotoa and the Stuurman brothers as symbols of endurance. "They show that despite extermination attempts, the Khoisan people endured and continue to rise. The biggest lie is that coloured people 'have no culture' or that Khoisan are extinct. Both are false. We are alive, we have heritage and we are reclaiming it."
Accoring to Varrie there won't be a term "coloured" in the next 40 years. His vision is to see Khoisan culture taught in schools and respected in law. For someone interested to learn more about the Khoisan heritage, Varrie said one can visit:
- Richtersveld, Namaqualand;
- !Khwa ttu Heritage Centre;
- District Six Museum; and
- rock art sites in the Cederberg and Drakensberg.
Varrie said taking your wife's surname within the Khoisan community shows respect, not weakness: "For us, family and community matter most. If a man takes his wife's surname, it is choice and respect, not weakness. It can strengthen unity."
For Nondumiso Sihlangu, a 26-year-old virgin, student pilot and business owner from KwaMashu, culture is expressed through practices like umkhosi womhlanga (the reed dance).
Sihlangu said she joined umkhosi womhlanga when she was six years old and has stayed a virgin since then.
"Umkhosi womhlanga is where we get to be united as maidens, where we revisit our norms and values as Africans and touch base as who we are as Africans," she said.
Sihlangu said what first drew her in was the beauty of dance and the attire, but it soon became a deeper practice of discipline.
"While growing up I discovered that the practice prevents you from certain things like getting pregnant at a young age … [and] it helps you build self-confidence."
She said when growing up she faced challenges but because she was taught how to carry herself and how to be disciplined as intombi (a virgin women) she managed to conquer those challenges.
Like Khoza, Temudzani, Mrs J and Varrie, Sihlangu sees Heritage Day as a time to stay rooted.
"Heritage Month reminds us of our roots and culture — especially when you're someone who likes to be rooted in culture … we get to embrace our culture with no shame.
"Continue to stay rooted, make sure you don't drift because you see other cultures. Believe in yourself and your culture, be proud of who you are, respect yourself and your cultures."
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