This past weekend is one of the special times in history that felt good to be South African. Apart from the break from work and school that those fortunate enough to have jobs enjoyed, this year’s heritage weekend felt extra special.
It didn’t matter whether you stayed home to be a couch potato for the weekend, spent the day scrolling through social media, went shopping or went to church, one common thing you would see is scores of South Africans, including non-South Africans, adorning their national colours to celebrate who they are.
According to the national government’s website, Heritage Day on September 24 “recognises and celebrates the cultural wealth of our nation”.
South Africans celebrate the day by remembering the heritage of the many cultures that make up SA. South Africans didn’t disappoint, and many used social media to show off their traditional attires that expressed their diverse cultural traditions and dress codes passed from one generation to another.
It was heartwarming to witness shoppers snatching green and gold T-shirts off the shelves like hot cakes to show support to the reigning Springboks, who had so far shown so much determination and zeal to defend their title as the world champs.
There is no denying that the Rugby World Cup in France — more than 8,000km away from home — has made this year’s Heritage Day extra special.
This weekend has shown us once again that sport is a unifying factor in our nation, a heritage that every South African can identify with.
See, it didn’t matter that the Springboks were beaten 13-8 by number one Ireland in the nail-biting Pool B match at Stade de France on Saturday, South Africans have remained behind their national team irrespective of the result.
Unlike previous world cups and international games where the main debate was mainly about racial quotas and why players from certain racial groups were not seen as worthy or ready to join the green and gold team, this year’s tournament is somewhat different.
If a visit to a local sport cafe this weekend and the nation-building conversations that patrons of different races had with each other are anything to go by, South Africans seem to have moved on from redundant debates that don’t take the nation anywhere.
The nation is more concerned about the quality of the game and players in the tournament irrespective of their race, creed or background. They are supporting and celebrating their national team, the country’s living heritage, through and through.
Addressing Heritage Day celebrations in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend, Deputy President Paul Mashatile challenged South Africans to reflect on the country's journey since the dawn of democracy and to accept the challenges of building a nation out of a history of division.
This weekend has shown us once again that sport unifies our nation, a heritage every South African can identify with.
We felt the unifying power when the country’s women’s soccer team, Banyana Banyana made history and made it to the top 16 in the recent women’s Soccer World Cup in New Zealand when they beat Italy 3-2.
The game sparked joy and inspired many to pay attention and support the women’s team. While Mashatile has called on the nation to use their cultural differences to unite to “safeguard” the future.
But sport is just one aspect of our heritage.
The country is not out of the woods yet and still faces many challenges to do with its long history of segregation that threaten to destabilise the nation-building fruits that we are starting to taste. The ongoing reports of racism that continue in certain parts of our society, including universities, remain a threat.
The latest racism incident at Free State University where a white first year student called a black student a baboon, and a lecturer who refused to take the incident seriously, instead labelling it as a “joke” between the two students, is a warning that should not be taken slightly. Mashatile’s government needs to show more commitment to root out racism that continues to spoil our nation-building efforts and heritage.
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