President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead South Africa’s National Heritage Day celebrations at Rosemoor Stadium in Thembalethu, George, in the Western Cape, on Thursday, 24 September 2026.
This year’s celebration will be held under the theme, “Celebrating Our Living Heritage: Strengthening the Ties That Bind Us”, with the focus on the role of living heritage in promoting national unity, social cohesion, Ubuntu and a shared sense of belonging.
National Heritage Day is observed annually on 24 September and provides an opportunity for South Africans to recognise, celebrate and reflect on the country’s diverse cultural heritage.
According to the Presidency, this year’s theme highlights the importance of living heritage in strengthening social cohesion and nation-building while recognising communities as custodians of heritage.
The theme also seeks to promote dialogue, mutual understanding and a shared sense of belonging among South Africans.
Heritage Day marks the culmination of the month-long Heritage Month programme, which has been observed since September was declared Heritage Month in 1995.
Heritage Month provides an opportunity for South Africans to reflect on the country’s shared history, celebrate its cultural diversity and strengthen a collective sense of belonging grounded in the constitutional values of human dignity, equality, non-racialism, non-sexism and Ubuntu.
Throughout September, provinces and heritage institutions have undertaken activities aimed at promoting community participation, education, cultural expression and the transmission of heritage knowledge between generations.
This year’s programme included the Living Human Treasures and Heritage Custodians Recognition Programme, which recognises individuals who preserve and transmit Indigenous Knowledge and cultural practices.
Other activities included intergenerational heritage dialogues, school heritage programmes, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Heritage Symposia, as well as museum heritage education programmes.
The initiatives have brought together communities, heritage practitioners, traditional leaders, cultural workers, artists, Indigenous Knowledge holders, learners and young people to engage with and celebrate South Africa’s diverse heritage.
The Presidency said South Africa’s heritage landscape has been shaped by the country’s history of colonial dispossession and apartheid-era exclusion, which marginalised indigenous cultures, knowledge systems and forms of cultural expression.
Since the advent of democracy, the heritage sector has progressively been reoriented towards inclusivity, redress and cultural democracy.
This approach is reflected in constitutional protections and policy and legislative frameworks that recognise cultural participation, living heritage and Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
The Presidency said this year’s National Heritage Day celebration would provide an opportunity to reflect on the importance of heritage in strengthening social cohesion and nation-building.
