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Staff Reporter
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Joined by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa and MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture, UBab uMahlaba, the Premier of KZN Nomsa Dube-Ncube, Mashatile said sports has also been used as a vehicle to foster cohesion, peaceful coexistence and mutual solidarity in communities.
As part of the 2023 Heritage Month celebrations, the spotlight fell on South Africa’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, incorporating African, Asian, and European cultures and traditions.
Mashatile also launched the best indigenous games from all South African cultures, this festival being an example of the kind of initiatives that the Department of Arts and Culture prioritises towards its strategic objectives to preserve culture and heritage.
The indigenous games are taking place at Hoy Park, where we also have the Beautiful Things Craft Exhibition from the 24th – 29th of September.
“We are here to acknowledge and celebrate South Africa’s diverse heritage, which is being showcased and highlighted throughout September. Heritage Month holds immense cultural significance in South Africa, as it provides a platform for communities to celebrate and display their unique traditions, customs, and languages,” he said.
He said Heritage Month helps recognise the importance of cultural diversity in shaping national identity and fostering a sense of unity and belonging among all citizens. Indigenous languages were introduced in 2 400 schools to build social cohesion.
During this administration, sports have fostered cohesion, peaceful coexistence and mutual solidarity in our communities. 4 732 schools, hubs and clubs have been provided with equipment and attires, recording 332,053 people actively participating in sport and active recreation events arranged by the Department and provincial departments.
Despite the odds, several advances have been made regarding the inclusion and support of women in sports, the key to this being the support for their demands for equal pay for work of equal value.
Additionally, in addressing issues that affect women in our country, especially in the area of Gender Based Violence and Femicide, he added that the government has adopted a National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP GBVF) and has strengthened the response of our criminal justice system to GBVF, improving the support provided to survivors through legislative reform, increasing the number of places of safety and a range of other mechanisms.
“I, therefore, call upon all South Africans to not only embrace our culture, heritage and indigenous knowledge but also to safeguard the interests of the kind of future that we aspire for – a future rooted in democracy, social cohesion, economic prosperity and enhanced unity in our diversity.”
INSIDE EDUCATION