Thousands of Free State citizens celebrated Heritage Day in style in Ficksburg yesterday (24 September), led in the traditional reverie by the Premier of the Free State, Mr Ace Magashule, the MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mrs Mathabo Leeto as well as other Members of the Executive Council, Members of the Free State Legislature, Mayors and Traditional Leadership.
The celebration started with the traditional ceremony the previous evening of 23 September, coined “Re ya Meriting”. This ceremony provided a well-deserved respite following the long and hard day of Operation Hlasela programme during which the Premier and his entourage crisscrossed the town of Ficksburg assessing and ensuring the provision of services to the local communities.
“Re Ya Meriting” ceremony was a positive prelude to the Heritage Day celebration event of the 24th September and was characterised by the rendition of diboko by various leaders who ascended the stage to address hundreds of people who attended the ceremony. Traditional meals were served on the evening.
Thousands of Free State citizens descended into the Ficksburg Showgrounds on the morning of the 24th September for the main celebration. Proudly dressed in their different traditional attires these citizens danced for the better part of the day to traditional music presented by artists such as Appollo Ntabanyane, Puseletso Seema, Phuzekhemisi, Xoli Nosenga, Rumo la Koebe and several others.
Mr Ace Magashule and Mrs Mathabo Leeto stressed the importance of cultural pride and expression of one’s cultural identity, that communities can only progress when there is self-awareness of one’s heritage and identity.
The day was also successfully concluded with the provision of traditional delicacies after which the multitudes that attended the celebration departed back home.
This celebration was yet another culmination of the commitment Mrs Leeto made during her maiden Budget Vote Speech on the 8th July 2014, when she undertook to “implement the ‘Re Tsoselletsa Botjhaba Ba Rona’ program during which we will organise the Ditema, Diboko and Praise Poetry competitions to ensure that we do not lose our national identity”.
Mrs Leeto would like to, on behalf of the Premier and the entire Free State Provincial Government, thank all those who made this day a success and looks forward to the staging of more such celebrations.
Enquiries:
Tankiso Zola
Tel: 051 4104742/4786/4719
Cell: 082 940 2392
E-mail: tankiso@sacr.fs.gov.za
