Inkosi Jongilanga of the Pondo tribe (right) arrives with his entourage at the Mahumani annual cultural day ceremony. Jongilanga is the chief of the Pondo tribe in the Eastern Cape.

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The Mahumani clan celebrated their annual cultural day at a ceremony that was held at Mahumani village outside Giyani last Saturday.

In her address during the event, the Deputy-Minister of Arts and Culture, Mrs Nomatombozana Botha, commended the Mahumani Royal Council and Mahumani community for their insight in conceptualizing the cultural day initiative and for having sustained it since 2002. “The initial purpose of this initiative was to celebrate the culture of the Tsonga (Shangaan) people, but I think we all need to appreciate the fact that this celebration is no longer an event to celebrate and showcase the cultural heritage of the Tsonga people. This celebration has been expanded to include the diverse cultural heritage of our country,” she said.

Botha further acknowledged that “As a nation, we need to encourage initiatives such as the Mahumani heritage and cultural celebration, so that our culture and heritage can be appreciated and enjoyed as an integral part of our being African. We are people who embrace the values of Ubuntu. This is another way of promoting the African Renaissance.”

She further outlined that the Mahumani Royal Council and its community are leading the way in building a better life for all. It was during this event that the traditional attire from different cultural communities was showcased.

According to Chief Aron Mahumani of the Mahumani tribe, apart of celebrating culture, one of the main objectives of the event was to promote unity amongst members of the community. “Our area has a rich culture and our dream is to promote and ensure cultural tourism and ecotourism, so as to facilitate social justice and economic upliftment,” he said.

He encouraged community members during the event to come up with business plans, so that they can initiate community projects that would help to eradicate poverty in the area. The event was attended by, amongst others, the newly appointed Minister of Public Service and Administration in South Africa, Mr Richard Baloyi, the Deputy-Minister of Arts and Culture, Mrs Ntombazana Botha, the ambassador of Mozambique, Mr Fernando Fazenda, the mayor of the Greater Giyani Municipality, Cllr Angie Ramaupadi, the provincial manager of Old Mutual, Mr Richard Chauke, Chief Jongilanga Sigcau of the Pondo tribe and representatives from the National Traditional House.

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