Heritage Day reminds us that our society has resilient foundations

It’s easy to see Heritage Day as a break from school or work, or an excuse to braai with friends and family. But its significance is much greater.

It’s a day to remember the foundations of our society – and the way they retain their value as the basis for a more equitable future.

South Africa’s multifaceted heritage has been shaped by thousands of years of human history and the convergence of diverse cultures, languages and traditions. And as we celebrate Heritage Day on 24 September, the country is still grappling with how to honour this complex inheritance while building a more inclusive future.

This is a challenge for communities, businesses, governments and development agencies such as Kagiso Trust, which traces its foundations to the apartheid era. The Trust is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and works in areas of society where the legacy of centuries of oppression still limits people’s potential.

However, South Africa’s heritage can help it build a better future. Many cultural traditions embody sophisticated knowledge systems, and sustainable development recognises that solutions, which incorporate traditional wisdom are more likely to be embraced by communities.

Strong cultural identity enhances resilience and social cohesion, and when people feelconnected to their heritage they’re more invested in their community’s long-term wellbeing. That makes cultural richness a strategic asset for development.

Key insight is that sustainable development isn’t about replacing traditions with modernity but about strengthening communities’ capacity to evolve their traditions in response to new challenges while maintaining their core identity and values. In that way, human capacity becomes South Africa’s most valuable inherited asset.

Igniting human capacity

Kagiso Trust was founded in 1985 to provide direct assistance to people suffering under apartheid. Today it focuses on education, socio-economic development, civil society and local government, and its job is “to ignite the human capacity bequeathed to us by everything that has gone before”.

The Trust announced last month (August) that it is providing a short-term loan facility to ease cashflow pressures on more than 24 000 emerging sugarcane farmers, long excluded from traditional financing channels.

An injection of R30 million will provide early payments to smallholders in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga who typically operate on communal land of about 2.5 hectares, and medium-scale farmers who own or lease land of up to 80 ha, and we’re committed to growing this two-year facility into a long-term solution.

The Trust’s partnership with schools, teachers, learners and officials in Sekhukhune East Education District in Limpopo is another example of its impact.

The matric pass rate increased from less than 60% in 2021 to 87.3% in 2024. We have connected 26 schools to the internet, provided technical high schools with an electrical workshop and an ICT centre, and invested in the skills of technical teachers.

In the long-term, igniting human capacity in Sekhukhune East will initiate a self-sustaining virtuous circle by improving the community’s socio-economic conditions, but also by strengthening its inherited foundation: heritage.

Human capacity building gives communities the tools to adapt their traditions to contemporary challenges without losing their essence. A community health worker trained in modern techniques might integrate traditional healing practices in health education. A sugarcane farmer might combine indigenous agricultural wisdom with new sustainable techniques. The tradition evolves but its core knowledge and values remainintact.

For those working in development, Heritage Day is a reminder that to succeed and achieve sustainability their efforts must be built on partnerships, a long-term vision, and a platform that honours South Africa’s diverse heritage.

The greatest tribute we can pay to our ancestors is to ensure that future generations inherit even stronger foundations.

* Mankodi Moitse is the CEO of Kagiso Trust, one of South Africa’s leading development agencies.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.

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