Voorsitter, ek wil die Minister gelukwens met sy poging om die erfenis en kultuur in ons gemeenskappe terug te bring sodat hulle die waarde van ons landsvlag en ons lied kan verstaan. Ons mense kan so maklik die vlag verkeerd hang en soms die lied sonder toewyding sing, en by ander geleenthede ken hulle nie eens die woorde nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Mr J J MCGLUWA: Chairman, I would like to congratulate the Minister on his attempt to bring back the heritage and culture in our communities in order for them to understand the value of our national flag and our anthem. Our people can so easily hoist the flag incorrectly and sing the anthem without dedication at times, and on other occassions they don't even know the words.]
Heritage Day is a celebration of South Africa's rich and diverse cultural heritage. For nearly two decades everyone, from leaders to people at grassroots level, were encouraged to adopt a common goal, which has been to make an effort to understand the demonstrations of the extraordinary richness of the South African social fabric. It is important that we explore the struggle for cultural liberation in our new democracy. We should be united in creating a new heritage and in recontexualising the legacy of the past.
This year's theme is dedicated to men and women of South Africa's races who fought tirelessly for political liberation. It is up to us to keep alive the dreams and aspirations of those who have perished. As leaders we often find obstacles despite our common goal for unity in our country.
We should be working towards shaping and creating contemporary heritage initiatives in which we can all find meaning and expression to share together as South Africans. We cannot allow this ghost of the past to haunt us in the present.
It is therefore important that we reinforce our social fibres by immersing ourselves in an indigenous culture and language. The historical and current context of the language issue in South Africa remains fraught and continues to have an influence on the relationship between language and society. I thank you. [Applause.]