Heritage Day is aimed at paying homage to the cultural wealth and diversity in South Africa. South Africans celebrate the 24th of September by honouring the heritage of the multiple diversity factors that make up the population of our Country. Our Historical Inheritance, 11 official languages , our unique ways of creative expression, paying tribute to our indigenous heritage, the nature found in South Africa and of course, the food we eat!

What Is The History Behind This Day In South Africa? 

Previously in RSA, 24 September was actually known as “Shaka Day” . This day was named and honoured by the memory of Shaka, the Zulu King of South Africa. The date was set on the presumption that his death in 1828 happened on September 24th. King Shaka played a crucial role in uniting the divided Zulu tribes into homogenised nations. Every year, the Shaka Memorial Site is flocked by people who wish to peacefully remember King Shaka on this day. The post-apartheid Parliament of South Africa was presented with a Public Holidays Bill in 1996. The Bill did not include the Heritage Day date on the list of proposed holidays. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) vehemently objected to the Bill. Parliament and the ANC then decided to compromise – the day was given its present title and was accepted as a public holiday. It is also known as “Manase Asanda” . When we as South Africans celebrate this day, it is also about drawing awareness to that which makes up our “Rainbow Nation” . It’s the day to commemorate the contribution of all South Africans to the building of our Country.

Try Out These Ideas This Heritage Day In Cape Town

There is bound to be a place of cultural interest near you no matter where you live in South Africa.Get your family and friends together and visit a museum, public sculptures or historic landmarks in your area.Celebrate Heritage Day with a delicious lunch, or pack a picnic with all your favourite traditional foods, and hit a local park/ beach to discuss everything you saw and experienced. This Heritage weekend get out there are experience our local history.

• Take a boat trip to Robben Island
• Hike up Table Mountain
• Visit District Six Museum
• Soak up the culture at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art
• Take a Open Bus Tour around the city
• Visit local restaurants in BoKaap
• Visit one of our many, beautiful wine estates
• Have a braai at home with family and friends

^{Let’s Braai!}

Make sure to invite as many cooks from different cultures as possible, then hold a kitchen culture cook-off to see who wins! Melktert, umngqusho, pannekoek, koeksisters, samosas, vetkoek, pap-en-wors, Cape Malay curry, malva pudding, the list goes on and on. Why not play around with combinations of different cultural flavours . You can even share stories about each person’s different cultural traditions as a way to learn more about the differences we share but also the unity that bonds us all as a Nation

Tell your stories

All families have stories, these are the stories that are passed down through generations. Why not haul out the old slide projector, VHS player ( if you have one that works! ) old diaries, letters, sentimental boxes with precious memorabilia, and of course – the photo albums! Spending time with your family and paging through an album of pre-internet memories is not only cathartic. Going through old memorabilia can be emotional and bonding, as you visualise the journey of the lineage you come from. Grand parents are full of stories and tales about living in times that we never saw. Call the family together to share everyone’s memories , recollections and reflections on how times have changed in South Africa, better yet why not document this in your own way at a Clay Café near you. Bring the family together to enjoy a meal and a creative day out in celebration of your own family lineage. Make memories as a family that can be kept and celebrated. 

Have a braai!

Sure, it might sound obvious – and of course a “Braai” is almost every South Africans go-to manner of celebrating Heritage Day, but why change a Classic Staple? For whatever reason, if you choose not to immerse yourself in the rituals of the Braai Institution, you may be interested in visiting a local “Shisha Nyama Tavern” .Shisa Nyama Restaurants can be found throughout Cape Town, with popular locations including Mzoli’s in Gugulethu, The Shack in Langa, and Mzoli’s Place in Khayelitsha. These restaurants provide a unique atmosphere and delicious food that will give you a taste of South African culture. Some traditional “Braai or Shisa Nyama dishes include: Tjops ( Lamb Chops) Boerewors, Weskus Snoek, Skilpadjies , Pap, Stokbrood and Vetkoek! Alternatively , why not venture out, and enjoy a few ‘Heritage’ treats from a Clay Café near you

^{Whats on the menu you ask:}

• A good fashioned Boerie roll with all the blows and whistles
• For dessert, an all time favourite: Melktart or Malva Pudding

Visit A Clay Café  Branch Near You.

Groot Parys has been farming with wine grapes since 1699, with wine having been made on the farm since 1709. Today, the farm is still surrounded by history with most of the buildings being late Victorian in style. The estate’s Manor House started out as a Cape Dutch farmhouse but was rebuilt in 1905 and is now Edwardian. Half a century later, Italian prisoners of war lived and worked on the farm and added the Manor House’s underground cellar and walls of “rivier klippe”.

“ Paarl has a rich history, beginning in 1687 when land was originally allocated to Huguenot families who had relocated from France. Groot Parys Lifestyle Estate is situated conveniently between the centre of town and the N1, and is surrounded by vineyards, the Drakenstein mountain range and Paarl Rock, and an abundance of fauna and flora native to the area”

^{Hout Bay}

^Paarl 

^{Clay Café  In The City}