The Western Cape Government is concerned about the last-minute and seemingly chaotic way the national Heritage Day celebration has been moved from KwaZulu-Natal to the Western Cape.
Heritage Day belongs to all South Africans. It should never become a political football. It is one of our country’s most important national days and should be properly and professionally planned.
On Saturday, 19 September 2026, we received correspondence from national Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, informing us that the national celebration would be moved from KwaZulu-Natal to the Western Cape.
KwaZulu-Natal had been announced as the host province and preparations were already under way. Why, just days before Heritage Day, was this prestigious event moved? What happened to the preparations and expenditure already incurred? And why were the affected provincial and local governments not properly consulted before such a significant decision was taken?
Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo Mackenzie, said, "This is not how an event of this proportions should be run. A decision like this, taken days before the event and without consultation, is not planning; it is improvisation at the taxpayer's expense. The people of KwaZulu-Natal were promised Heritage Day. The people of George were given no warning. And the country has been given no explanation. Heritage Day belongs to every South African, and these decisions cannot be made behind closed door.”
The Western Cape welcomes major events. We are proud to host visitors from across South Africa and the world. But welcoming an event does not mean we should remain silent when established principles of good governance, planning and intergovernmental coordination appear not to have been followed.
George Municipality was placed in an extremely difficult position, with national officials arriving at short notice to prepare for an event that had not formed part of the municipality’s programme. Venues, municipal services, security, infrastructure and personnel are planned well in advance. A major national event requires coordination between all affected. Government cannot simply descend on a municipality days before a major national event and expect everything to fall into place.
Executive Mayor of George Municipality, Alderman Browen Johnson, said, “George Municipality supports cultural, sporting, heritage and community events within our municipal area. We are proud of George’s rich cultural heritage, and we welcome the opportunity to showcase it to South Africa. However, our support for an event does not remove the need for the appropriate procedures to be followed. Major events require careful planning, consultation and coordination between the different spheres of government, as well as compliance with the applicable legislative, regulatory and municipal requirements. Our concern is therefore not about hosting Heritage Day. Our concern is about the process that brought us here.”
The confusion has been compounded by contradictory public communication from national government.
The Presidency has subsequently deleted social-media posts containing some of this information. Rather than resolving the matter, the removal of official communication adds to the need for a clear, authoritative statement confirming exactly where the national celebration will take place and explaining how this confusion arose.
There is also a legitimate question of public expenditure. If money had already been committed to preparations in KwaZulu-Natal, taxpayers deserve to know what those commitments were, what costs may now be duplicated because of relocating the event, and who will carry those additional costs.
The Western Cape Government had already planned its own Heritage Month and Heritage Day activities. Proper consultation could have allowed national government to work with existing programmes rather than creating unnecessary disruption and potentially additional expenditure.
But one of the biggest unanswered questions remains: why was National Heritage Day removed from KwaZulu-Natal at such short notice?
The President and Minister McKenzie should explain clearly to the people of KwaZulu-Natal, and South Africans what led to this decision.
Enquiries:
Regan Thaw
Media Liaison Officer to the Premier
Cell: 083 627 7246
E-mail: Regan.Thaw@westerncape.gov.za
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