Fun Ways to Celebrate Heritage Month

[Updated August 2022]

September is Heritage Month and we’ve rounded up wonderful ways to celebrate South Africa’s rich and diverse culture. Join us as we explore Xhosa mythology, outrageous art, Namaqualand daisies and where to find the tastiest kotas.

Get a culture fix at the Zeitz MOCAA

Fresh from its glamorous opening weekend, this contemporary art museum is just as interesting on the inside as its exterior suggests. Designed by the celebrated UK architect commissioned to build Google’s new offices, the architecture is mesmerising with dramatic spiral staircases and echoes of the Sagrada Familia. Nicholas Hlobo’s giant dragon sculpture iimpundulu zonke ziyandilenda is the pièce de résistance in this astonishing museum of over 80 gallery spaces which include works by Nandipha Mntambo, Kenyan artist Cyrus Karibu and William Kentridge, among many others. The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa is to Cape Town what the Centre Pompidou is to Paris.

Chief curator and director, Mark Coetzee, told the Guardian the museum is “geographically situated in Cape Town but has a dialogue with all 54 African states”.

Free entry for all children under 18 year olds and R210 per adult. However, entry is free for African citizens every Wednesday from 10 am to 1 pm (bring your South African ID or African passport). Stop by on any day during your birthday month, but bring a valid South African ID or African passport and then you can enjoy a magical birthday amongst creative masterpieces.

The Zeitz MOCAA is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00. Please note that it’s closed on Mondays.

Flower power – take a roadtrip to Darling

Every spring the west coast countryside erupts in a riot of Namaqualand daisies. visit these beautiful fields of vibrant colours and full your photo album with gorgeous photos of you amongst nature’s beaty! You should definitely take a little road-trip, a few hours up the coast to revel in the spring-time festivities.

Also read: The best spots to see the spring flowers

Try all the proudly South African foods this Heritage Day

Be sure to celebrate South African heritage by tracking down your favourite South African foods!

• Biltong: There is no short supply of this South African favourite snack. You can find it in all places, from gas stations, supermarkets, cafes to butcheries etc.
• Vetkoek: This deep-fried dough dumplings are often filled with yummy mince and you can find it at places such as Woolworths to markets or restaurants like Vetkoek Paleis.
• Bunny Chow: Once native to Durban, now loved across the country is a generous meal of a hollowed out loaf filled with spicy and flavourful curry.
• Malva pudding: End off your meal with South Africa’s favourite dessert. It is a baked sponge pudding, filled with apricot jam and topped with a hot cream sauce or custard. It is heavenly!

Explore KZN’s natural beauty when you visit KwaNogqaza

KwaNogqaza or ‘place of the tall one’ is a 111-metre-high waterfall – one of Howick’s most iconic attractions. It’s completely free to visit!

Honour our heritage at the Mandela Capture Site

This memorial is an important reminder of the liberation struggle. Find it on the R103. Stay updated on the site’s exhibitions and open times on their website.

There is also a cafe open daily from 09:00 – 16:00. So grab some lunch and a coffee whilst you there. There are even lunch buffets!

Entrance is R100 for adults and it’s free for Children under 12 years. Admission is R30 for 12 – 18 year olds, Scholars and Teachers. It’s R60 for students and over 60 year olds. You also have an opportunity to have a guided tour for only R10 per person!

Specials! Pensioners pay R30 on Wednesdays and 18 – 35 year olds pay R60.

Join a free tour of Kirstenbosch Gardens

Enjoy these beautiful gardens with family and friends for walks, tours and picnics! Alternatively explore these adventurous grounds by yourself and get lost in this magical garden.

entrance is R210 for adults (R90 if you have your SA ID or a SADC ID and R130 for African Nationals), R50 for students, R30 for 6 to 17 year olds and admission is free for under 6 year olds or on Tuesdays, except on public holidays, for over 60 year olds.

These magnificent national gardens offer free guided tours of the garden every day from Monday to Saturday. Tours are 90 minutes long.

While you’re there:

• Check out the Boomslang Canopy tree walkway. This low-environmental-impact steel and timber walkway offers a sculptural path along the treetops with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
• If you’re lucky you’ll spot a shy Eagle Owl in the trees.
• There are easy, beginner trails to long hikes like the Yellowwood Trail and Silvertree Trail which takes you up to a waterfall.
• On the left at the entrance to Gate 1 is a delightful conservatory with an enormous baobab as its centre-piece and fascinating desert plants and plant fossils.

Take a drive to the edge of Africa

The southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas, marks the spot where the two mighty oceans meet. 150 Kilometres east of the Cape of Good Hope, it was here that early seafarers christened this tip Cabo das Agulhas, Cape of Needles. They were referring to the compass needle which shows no difference between true north and magnetic north in this magical spot.

We’d love to hear your favourite things to do to celebrate South Africa’s rich culture this Heritage Month in the comments below.

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All information on this blog page was correct at the time of publishing and may change at any time without prior notice. Travelstart will not be held liable for loss or inconvenience resulting from the use of out-dated or incorrectly noted information.