Heritage Braai

While many South Africans are aware of Heritage Day, how many know the history behind it, the true reason we celebrate this momentous holiday, and its connection to various cultures and traditions?

Heritage Day was initially known as ‘Shaka Day’ or ‘Shaka’s Day’, a day dedicated to commemorating the legendary King Shaka Zulu on the presumed date of his death in 1828. Shaka Zulu played an important role in uniting different Zulu clans into one cohesive Zulu nation in Kwa-Zulu Natal. To this day, thousands of people gather at the King Shaka Memorial on the 24th of September each year to pay tribute to the great Zulu King.

When the bill presented to the new post- Apartheid Parliament of South Africa in 1996 omitted Shaka Day from the proposed Public Holidays Bill, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a South African political party with a large Zulu membership, strongly objected to the bill. Eventually, a compromise was reached between the Parliament and the ANC (African National Congress), and it was decided that a national holiday would be created where South Africans of all cultures and creeds could come together and celebrate their diverse cultural heritage – Giving rise to Heritage Day!

On 24 September 2022 Heritage Hill joined together in acknowledging and celebrating the beautifully diverse cultures we have right here in our estate with a Heritage Day braai in the Rose Garden. Each household represented their heritage by contributing a side dish to the braai to share with other residents a little piece of their culture, from savoury paptert, morogo and even Mopani worms to various delicious salads and home baked breads. Whether we were born here or later on made South Africa our home, it is clear that without a doubt our residents proudly represent our estate name with a sense of belonging and interest for one another, making Heritage Hill our own.

“When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.” – Late former President Nelson Mandela in an address marking Heritage Day in 1996