Ramaphosa celebrates South Africa’s living heritage
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President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation from Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, South Africa, during a National Heritage Day celebration, praising the traditions and values that connect South Africans.
He explained that heritage extends beyond annual celebrations to encompass the knowledge, customs, and practices people share across generations. Ramaphosa specifically noted grandmothers sharing stories, traditional healers, craftspeople, musicians, and dancers as vital to maintaining South Africa’s living heritage through everyday practice.
Ramaphosa also acknowledged South Africa’s challenging history of dispossession, slavery, colonialism, apartheid, and forced removals, but he emphasised the importance of remembering the resistance and solidarity that led to democracy. He stated that the decision to build a unified nation after years of conflict is itself a core part of the country's heritage. He urged citizens to preserve indigenous knowledge and traditions, suggesting they be recorded, taught, and passed on to future generations to prevent their loss.
Ramaphosa closed by calling on South Africans to uphold the values of unity, ubuntu (a Nguni Bantu term roughly translating to “humanity towards others”), and human dignity, asserting these principles define the nation more than race, culture, language, or geography.
