North West Human Settlements on celebrating Heritage Month

September is heritage month in South Africa. Throughout the month South Africans celebrate the month by remembering the cultural heritage of the many cultures that make up the population of this country. Government has thus set aside the 24th of September as a day to recognises and celebrates the cultural wealth of our nation.

Various events are staged throughout the country to commemorate this day, and various events are held by different sectors of society across the country throughout the September month to celebrate heritage. The Department of Human Settlements was no exception. Officials of the department in Mafikeng displayed their culture through the different garments representing diverse cultures and further shared different cultural practices. Cultural positives and negatives dominated various narratives during the colorful event.

According to the acting head of department Mr James Mashigo, celebrating our heritage is very important as it reflects cultural diversity among officials. He said that employees should pride themselves about who they are and where they come from. "It is critically important for everyone to respect and celebrate heritage. In that was we are sure that we will carry the knowledge through to the next generations. Heritage is also part of culture and should respect each other's culture as citizens of this country which is rich in diverse in culture", said Mashigo.

Officials displayed their garments, which included different traditions like Setswana, Sepedi, Isindebele, Hindu, IsiXhosa, modernized or mixed cultural garments. Officials agreed that living heritage is the foundation of all communities and an essential source of identity and continuity.

Aspects of heritage include: cultural tradition, oral history, performance, ritual, popular memory, skills and techniques, indigenous knowledge system and the holistic approach to nature, society and social relationships. Heritage plays an important role in promoting cultural diversity, social cohesion, reconciliation, peace and economic development. In every community there are living human treasures who possess a high degree of knowledge, skills and history pertaining to different aspects of diverse living heritage.

Enquiries:

Ms Dineo Lolokwane
SPOKESPERSON: Department of Human Settlements
072 542 8444 \ 018-388 2391