POLOKWANE – In celebration of Heritage Day, learners from schools around the city dressed up in colourful traditional attire, exhibiting great enthusiasm and pride in their traditions.

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Little Stars dress up for Heritage Day

Little Stars celebrated Heritage Day in style last Tuesday as the little ones came dressed in their traditional outfits.

They came in outfits representing the Zulu, Tsonga, Pedi and Ndebele tribes.

The little stars brought traditional food from home and helped their teachers in preparing for a feast.

The celebration concluded with music and dancing session at the day care.

Teacher Esnath Hove mentioned that the celebration was meant to teach the little ones about their heritage.

“It was all about educating them about their tradition, culture and the different beliefs and lifestyle of their great-grandfathers,” she said.

Enderun goes back to its roots on Heritage

The Enderun Colleges – Polokwane foundation phase learners dug into their heritage in remembrance of Heritage Day on Tuesday, by dressing up in their cultural attires, bringing in food that was traditional to them.

While in their cultural attires, the learners also had to bring an artifact prop that was personal and had a traditional or cultural meaning to them or their people.

In the morning, the learners and teachers gathered to capture their memories which represented the diverse cultural backgrounds that Enderun Colleges – Polokwane proudly boasts.

During their lunch break, the learners indulged in traditional foods such as biryani, sweet potatoes, pap and chicken necks, as well as pap and chicken feet, instead of having their usual western-style lunch boxes.

The teachers also joined in with a spread that included Portuguese salad, Kenyan pilau, goat pilau, and sweets for dessert.

The learners and teachers later played indigenous games such as ‘Mogusha’, ‘Tshaba legotlo’, and ‘Ke tso bina mzala’, games that connected them to their South African roots and revitalised the spirit of Africa, which reminded everyone of the way life used to be — gathering in big circles of friends.

Heritage event organiser Alice Matsombe said the aim of this celebration was to show and educate the learners how life was before the great wave of globalisation and to give everyone a chance to connect in traditional ways.

“At Enderun Colleges – Polokwane, we strongly believe that there is no future without the past. Playing these traditional games also aided in the learners’ development — improving their coordination, strengthening their language skills as they sang songs in languages not native to them, and bonding them together as a community.”

She concluded that they also hope that these games will be revitalised in the communities and that, in the future, they will once again see large groups of children playing these timeless games that are slowly disappearing in today’s tech-driven society.

Heritage Day at Veritas

Heritage Day at Veritas School saw learners get dressed up in their cultural attire, from Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, English to Portuguese.

Apart from having a taste of the various cultural foods, learners also put up a show, showcasing the various cultural dances.

Luther de Bruin dressed in a complete Zulu outfit, made from animal hide, and showed off his dancing skills.

Ivypark donates to the SPCA for Heritage Day

Giving back to the animals at the SPCA through Heritage Day celebration, Laerskool Ivypark learners brought tinned food and other items to school on Friday, to donate to the shelter.

To form part of the Heritage Day celebration, learners came to school dressed in Venda, SePedi, Tsonga, Zulu, Xhosa, Muslim, Indian, Swati, Somalian, and other cultural attire to make the celebration more meaningful.

By donating to the SPCA, you help to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome abused and neglected animals.

The manager of the SPCA Polokwane, Selma Landman told Review that anyone who donates and contributes to the shelter support their operation, promotes animal welfare through education and advocacy, and provides a safe haven for animals in need.