Nthambeleni Gabara

Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana has urged South Africans to use Heritage Month to deepen the country's humanity and unity, as they did during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

"Let us work together to sustain the spirit of ubuntu and patriotism that prevailed during the global event," Xingwana said at the Heritage Month launch in Pretoria on Monday.

"This is a call to South Africans to celebrate our collective achievements during the Fifa World Cup. We will use the event to acknowledge and recognise the hard work and sacrifices of the various sectors of our society during the World Cup."

South Africa's Heritage Month recognises all the different aspects of South African culture, including its languages, creative expressions and historical inheritances.

"We believe that it is important to sustain the positive memory [of the World Cup]and mobilise all the sectors of our society in the celebration of this distinctive period in the history of our country," Xingwana said.

"It is also important that we continue with this momentum and commit ourselves as a nation to intensify our efforts towards social cohesion."

President Jacob Zuma is expected to make a keynote address at the official national Heritage Day event in Durban on 24 September.

"We will have a street carnival, display our national symbols, and a parade by all our national teams from various sporting codes, including Bafana Bafana and Springbok players, and artistic performances," Xingwana said.

"After the official programme, we will have a musical event featuring South African artists."

The month-long Heritage programme includes a National Symbols exhibition at Benoni Museum on September 10. The exhibition includes a wall panel, national order models, banners, animal models and video footage on two big screens.

There will also be a Soccer Travelling Exhibition at the Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg, which will then travel to other parts of the country.

On 16 September, Xingwana will open the Social History Centre at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town.

Three days after the national Heritage celebrations, the South African flag that was flown at the Union Buildings in Pretoria when Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first democratically elected president in 1994 will be handed over to the government.

The flag was auctioned by Bonham's in London, where it was purchased by a patriotic South African who will hand it over to the government.

SAinfo reporter and BuaNews