ALL IMAGES SUPPLIED BY GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS, ARTS, CULTURE AND RECREATION
Spring Festival brings music, dance and costume to the township as the Gauteng government backs community arts, while the President leads the national event in Oudtshoorn
On Heritage Day, the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation joined the people of Diepsloot to celebrate the township’s years of existence through the vibrant Diepsloot Spring Festival. Diepsloot was established in 1995.
The celebrations brought together music, dance performances, costumes and community participation, showcasing the rich cultural expression that forms part of the Diepsloot identity.
“We continue to support platforms that create opportunities for artists and communities to participate in and celebrate arts and culture. As we commemorate Heritage Day, we celebrate the diversity of Gauteng’s communities and the role of culture in connecting people, preserving heritage and creating spaces for creative expression,” the Department said in a statement.
A township of many voices
Diepsloot is a densely populated township in northern Johannesburg, known for its diverse population, its informal settlements and its socio-economic challenges. It is precisely that mix of people and origins that gives a festival like the Spring Festival its meaning on Heritage Day: a day set aside to recognise that South Africa’s culture is many cultures, and that it is carried by ordinary communities as much as by monuments and museums.
For the artists, dancers and costume-makers who took part, the festival offers a stage close to home, in a community whose creative energy is often overshadowed by the difficulties it faces.
Heritage Day across the country
Heritage Day is observed every year on 24 September and is the culmination of Heritage Month, which was declared in 1995. The Presidency says this year’s month of activities saw communities, heritage institutions and practitioners take part in programmes promoting cultural expression, the sharing of knowledge between generations and the preservation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
The national theme for 2026 is “Celebrating Our Living Heritage: Strengthening the Ties That Bind Us”. It highlights the role of living heritage in promoting national unity, social cohesion, Ubuntu and a shared sense of belonging, and it recognises communities themselves as custodians of heritage, which is exactly what unfolded on the streets of Diepsloot.
The national event in Oudtshoorn
President Cyril Ramaphosa led the national celebration at the Bongolethu Sport Stadium in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, delivering the keynote address at a programme that began at 9am. Entry was free, with space for up to 5,000 people.
The venue was settled only days before the event. The national celebration was first planned for KwaZulu-Natal, but the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture decided that uMkhosi weLembe, the Zulu nation’s annual commemoration of King Shaka kaSenzangakhona, should have its own day. The event was then announced for George, before Oudtshoorn was confirmed on Tuesday. The late changes drew criticism from the Western Cape Government, which said an event of this size needs proper planning for security, infrastructure and municipal services. Minister Gayton McKenzie praised Oudtshoorn for agreeing to host at very short notice. The town also hosted the national celebration in 2025.
Culture that starts at home
While the national programme drew the headlines, the scene in Diepsloot was a reminder of what the theme of living heritage looks like in practice: neighbours in costume, music in the street and a community writing its own chapter of the story. Together, the events in Oudtshoorn and Diepsloot showed Heritage Day being celebrated from the national stage to the township street.
Sources: Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation statement; The Presidency; Department of Sport, Arts and Culture; SABC News; George Herald.
