Thabisani Ncube, Sex Rights Africa Network Coordinator
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
It’s a special day to celebrate culture and diversity of beliefs and traditions on the South African landscape that makes up the Rainbow Nation.
What does your Heritage mean to you?
As a foreigner who earns his keep in South Africa, it’s an opportunity to remember my own cultural heritage and how it’s contributing to building an inclusive South Africa.
How do you celebrate your Heritage through the work you do at AFSA?
As a highly social person I always engage colleagues in discussions about their heritage, and this honours their rich cultural history. We always find many similarities and differences, which are a healthy resource for team building.
Marisa Craig, Administrator
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
It’s a day of celebrating all cultures and understanding the diversities around us by recognising our similarities more than our differences, and appreciating the differences.
What does your Heritage mean to you?
I am Coloured, and it is often thought that we do not have any heritage. But I am a mixture of various different cultures which helps me in this diverse society to interact with almost everybody on different levels. I am proudly South African in my mixture and I appreciate the full heritage of my country and its people from other countries.
How do you celebrate your Heritage through the work you do at AFSA?
Educate my colleagues whenever they have questions about being Coloured, and remain who I am as an individual.
Sinenhlanhla Nomfundo Malinga, M&E Officer
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
Personally, Heritage Day is a great reminder of what makes us inherently – of the many cultures and traditions that ultimately came together and influenced who we all are today.
What does your Heritage mean to you?
My heritage is my Pride! It is a reminder of where I come from as I have inherited it from my Forefathers and plan to pass it on to my grandchildren. People come and go but Heritage lives on.
How do you celebrate your Heritage through the work you do at AFSA?
Being an M&E Officer at AFSA for the Global Fund Programme has allowed me to step out of my own comfort zone and travel all over SA verifying data. Through travelling you learn about and experience different cultures where one is exposed to different languages, values, beliefs, norms and people in general. This has changed my perspective and re-shaped my personality as I have seen how people live their everyday life with perseverance. It is such a humbling experience that teaches you to appreciate what you have and respect those who live without.
Ishaaq Mohamed, Grant Accountant
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
Sadness – people from my country die every day and they don’t get Aid because they have no resources to pay the powerful nations that can assist.
What does your Heritage mean to you?
Everything! I’d be lost without my heritage.
How do you celebrate your Heritage through the work you do at AFSA?
Knowing that the organisation helps people in need is good enough to make me sleep at night. The war we’re fighting at AFSA is much more dangerous than the war being fought in my country, and the efforts my colleagues put into their work in the field makes me proud to be a part of this organisation.
Mbalenhle Mkhize, Junior Finance Officer
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
It’s a day that reminds us not only to embrace each other’s differences, but to explore and experience a culture or tradition that is different to what we know
What does your Heritage mean to you?
It’s basically traditions that get carried down from generation to generation. It can also mean to pay the respect which is due to something.
How do you celebrate your Heritage through the work you do at AFSA?
Sharing what I know about my heritage with others, and also be open to learning about other people’s cultural background. Obviously wee can’t do that on a daily basis because we have busy schedules, but once in a while we do get time to chat!
Simangele Thanjekwayo, Data clerk
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
It means celebrating your culture/roots and acknowledging your whereabouts, dressing up in your traditional clothes and feeling proud about your culture and your being.
What does your Heritage mean to you?
It refers to practices or characteristics that are passed down through the years from one generation to the next.
How do you celebrate your Heritage through the work you do at AFSA?
Working with different types of people, that are coming from all over the world. I have had the chance to learn some of the terms that people use for certain things. We’ve also shared our cultural foods. It’s been a great experience.
Jérémie Nyamangyoku, ICT Officer
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
Considering my foreign background to that of South Africa as a nation, I have a bit difficulty reflecting on this one day as Heritage Day. However for me, almost every day is a Heritage Day as I live in sync with the values I have inherited from both my culture and practices. Having said that I use the occasion to learn more about my local friends as this reinforce the practice of social cohesion.
What does your Heritage mean to you?
My Heritage means a lot to me in that who I am is thanks to what I have inherited from my forefathers. Values such as “true man is a provider, protector and leader” not for his household but for his people through the initiation period. Also my forefather prayed to ABECA PÚNGÚ MWENE ÔMBE MWENE MALÚNGÚ WA MALANGO (God Almighty, Creator of Heavens and Earth, Omnipotent, Omniscient…) whenever there was calamities, disasters or whenever they wanted to give thanks. All this was inserted in us and make the pillar of our morality and high discipline.
How do you celebrate your Heritage through the work you do at AFSA?
Difficult to say, but I think from where I stand (in the IT server room), commitment can be mentioned in a way. I have learned how commitment is an important component for the attainment of any objective. Regardless of the size of your contribution to the cause, your commitment is the most important. For us who are operating from the backstage (IT), knowing that being committed to keeping the systems up and running contributes to the success of the AFSA story, and makes one happy to be part of such success.
Zinhle Bhengu, Data capturer
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
Celebrating culture and the diversity of beliefs and traditions.
What does your Heritage mean to you?
It’s my inheritace from the past.
Nqobile N Gumede, Procurement Officer
What does Heritage Day mean to you?
Heritage Day is the one day in the year where all persons in South Africa can take/use the day to reflect and appreciate all the diverse cultures, and learn more about other peoples’ cultures.
What does your Heritage mean to you?
I am proud of my heritage. The history and impact it has made makes me in awe. I gladly celebrate being ‘umZulu’ and under the Mnguni clan.
How do you celebrate your Heritage through the work you do at AFSA?
Although office-based, I’d like to believe we practice some of the values of our Heritage. The very nature of working for an NPO and what AFSA strives to achieve allows us to comfortably and confidently make the decision to choose the fair representation of the ethics of our Heritage every day.
