South Africa's Heritage Day (24 September) is an invented “Nation Building” public holiday where South Africans across the spectrum are encouraged to celebrate their cultural heritage and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions. After years of Apartheid the Heritage Day public holiday is an attempt by the government to bring South Africans together in mutual understanding of each others’ respective cultures. Former South African President, Nelson Mandela concisely explained it when he said the following in a Heritage Day speech:

"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”.

This statement by Madiba reinforces the notion that South Africa and its future is owned by its people.

Explore one of South Africa's 8 unique World Heritage Sites

The Cradle of Humankind

The Cradle of Humankind is situated about 50km northwest of Johannesburg and is the fossil hominid site of Sterkfontein, Kromdraai and the Klasies River Caves.  Sterkfontein is home to “Mrs Ples” (Australopithecus Africanus) a fossil over 2.3 million years old found in 1947.

The Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park

The St. Lucia Wetland Park is South Africa’s third largest protected area situated on the East Coast of Kwazulu Natal. The area has a uniquely varied wildlife, reflecting the collection of its five different eco-systems.?The Park has the world’s largest forested sand dunes and is home to about 1200 Nile Crocodiles and 800 Hippopotami.

Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape

This is home to the indigenous Nama people - an African ethnic group of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.?The Richtersveld park is situated in the Northern Cape and is well known for its hot climate and very little (if any) rain. The Nama people still continue to exist in this area and graze their livestock in this very merciless environment.

Robben Island

Robben Island is 12km off the coast of Cape Town and is approximately 1km in width. From 1836 – 1931 the island was used as a Leper Colony. Later it was used to isolate people from society and became a maximum security prison in 1959 for political prisoners. By 1996 the last of the non-political prisoners were removed from the island and by 1997 it became a national museum and popular site for tourists to visit.

Drakensberg Park

The Drakensberg boasts with the highest peak in South Africa at Thabana Ntleyana, rising to 3,482m. The most well known park in the Drakensberg is the Royal Natal National Park, and has the 2nd highest waterfall in the world (947m), the Tugela Falls.

Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape

Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape is situated in the Limpopo province and is known as South Africa’s lost city of gold.?In 1932 E. S. J. van Graan, and his son, stumbled upon a world of wealth finding many artefacts on top of the hill.?Over 1000 years ago it was the centre of the largest Kingdom in the subcontinent where high societal people traded in gold and ivory with China, India and Egypt.

Cape Floral

Region Protected Areas Indigenous Fynbos (Afrikaans for Fine Bush) grows in a 100 – 200km wide costal belt and is the pride of the Cape Floral Kingdom. There is an astonishing 9000 plant species in this region, with over 6200 of the species being endemic.

Vredefort Dome

Vredefort, in the Free State Province, has the largest verified impact crater on earth.?The asteroid that hit Vredefort was one of the largest to ever hit earth: over 10km wide!?The estimated time of impact is more than 2 billion years ago and is the second oldest crater on earth.

Heritage Day (Public Holiday)

South Africa celebrates its cultural diversity with concerts and events on this Public Holiday 

South Africa's Heritage Day is an invented “Nation Building” public holiday where South Africans across the spectrum are encouraged to celebrate their cultural heritage and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions.? After years of Apartheid the Heritage Day public holiday is an attempt by the government to bring South Africans together in mutual understanding of each others’ respective cultures.

Former South African President, Nelson Mandela concisely explained it when he said the following in a Heritage Day speech:"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”.

This statement by Madiba reinforces the notion that South Africa and its future is owned by its people