By Lilja Flohr
Every year, National Heritage Day is celebrated on 24 September. This year, Stellenbosch University (SU) hosted a variety of festivities, including themed parties in traditional attire, live music and dance, braais, and more to celebrate South Africa’s diversity of cultures.
Declared a public holiday in 1996, Heritage Day aims to honour and highlight the nation’s cultural traditions and heritage. Originally known as “Shaka’s Day”, it commemorated King Shaka Zulu, who united local clans and helped shape the Zulu nation. Today, the day is celebrated in many ways, including National Braai Day, which brings people together across cultural, lingual, and social differences.
At SU, residences and student societies brought their own spin to the celebrations. Goldfields hosted a Mahadi-Lobola themed event where attendees dressed up for a traditional wedding, while the Maties Ballroom and Latin-American Dance Society (MBLDS) ran a heritage-themed sokkie workshop. Residences such as Dagbreek and Wilgenhof also organised braais. Die Matie spoke to several students about what the day meant to them.
Nanette Malan, a second-year BSc (Biomedical Mathematical Science) student and Monica’s Culture HC member, organised an event at her residence to showcase “different foods, poems, music and beautiful traditional wear”. She says the aim was to celebrate diversity and create “a reminder of how beautifully diverse our campus is and how eager people are to learn about others”.
Nathan Harper, a third-year BScAgric (Plant and Soil Science) student and Helderberg’s Culture HC member, co-hosted the AmaMaties Cluster celebration with music, poetry, dance and drama. To him, heritage means “bringing people together in a world that often tries to divide us”. Harper hopes to make the “Helderberg Heritage Fest a tradition that grows into a university-wide celebration”.
Emma de Swardt, a second-year BA (Humanities) student and Nerina’s culture and spirituality project manager, organised a Heritage Day fair with food and music. For her, the day is about “mindfulness of where we come from, not only cultures and religions but also the people who came before us”. She sees SU as “a microcosm of South Africa” where Heritage Day reminds students that “diversity unites us as much as it challenges us”.
Events also extended beyond campus. Tessa Rothman, a third-year BCom (Management Sciences) student, joined the Every Nation Church Run. She believes it is vital to celebrate nationwide, as “despite our differences we were united through faith and community”.
Ultimately, Heritage Day at SU was more than just music, food, or dress. It was a lived expression of South Africa’s diversity on campus. From intimate residence events to large cluster festivals, the celebrations reflected how students embrace their own traditions while learning from others. Heritage Day reminded the SU community that identity is both personal and collective, and that togetherness across difference is what truly defines heritage.
