By Emily Setona
QWAQWA — For sisters Nompumelelo Makhoba, 30, and Thandekile Makhoba, 25, Heritage Day was not just celebration — it was a duty to protect the culture that binds generations.
The sisters joined thousands at Diphakoeng Sports Ground in Phuthaditjhaba on Saturday, 26 September, for the provincial 2026 Heritage Day celebration, where communities from across the Free State showcased cultural heritage.
“We are here as guests to celebrate our heritage and culture because it is very important not to lose our culture,” the sisters said.
That message anchored the addresses by Free State MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Ntombizanele Sifuba and Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae.
Sifuba said heritage must heal a society where values have eroded.
“Culture can help rebuild the values of respect, responsibility, compassion and Ubuntu,” she said, adding that cultural programmes can mentor youth and revive respect for life, women, children and the elderly.
Premier Letsoha-Mathae said heritage is not about the past alone, but the present and the future.
She said heritage lives in languages, songs, stories told by elders, food, rituals, dances, crafts, indigenous knowledge — and in the values taught to children and respect shown to elders.
“Values of respect. Values of dignity. Values of solidarity. Values of compassion. Values of mutual responsibility. Values of Ubuntu,” the Premier said.
She warned that South Africa’s diversity must not divide.
“Every community’s heritage adds another thread to the broader tapestry of the Free State and South Africa,” Letsoha-Mathae said.
“Unity in diversity means celebrating what makes us different while recognising what makes us human.”
Sifuba urged South Africans to make Heritage Day a commitment, not a once-a-year event.
“Speak indigenous languages with pride, support artists, protect heritage sites and encourage children to participate in cultural activities,” she said.
Letsoha-Mathae called on parents, elders, schools, artists, traditional leaders and government to keep living heritage alive.
For the Makhoba sisters, the call was personal and urgent — celebrating heritage means ensuring the ties that connect families, communities and generations are never lost.
