The Nicro Safety Ambassodors from three schools in Mangaung held a Heritage Day celebration at the Nicro offices in Hamilton, Bloemfontein on Friday 22 September 2017. Learners from Hodisa Technical High School, Moemedi Secondary School and Kopanang Secondary School who took part in the Nicro Safety Ambassadors’ programme, divided themselves into seven groups to represent some of the South African cultures.
The festivities started with a visit to the National Museum where learners were taught about the various cultures in our country. The learners then took this information and presented their new found knowledge to other fellow learners and parents who attended.
“We saw a big gap in the knowledge our learners have about their culture so we took this opportunity to learn more about them. We realised that we need to teach them more about the various cultures, in hopes that this will help them do away with the many negative stereotypes people often have when they don’t know anything about a certain culture,” explained Safety Ambassador coordinator, Lehlohonolo Motshabi.
The Heritage Day celebrations included presentations of various cultures by the learners, including Basotho, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, IsiNdebele, SeSwati and the English culture. Learners also entertained the crowd with music and dance from the various groups. The Safety Ambassadors also prepared a potjiekos meal for all who attended as a way of combining foods from different cultures into one, to show unity amongst various cultures.
Motshabi said they had a lot of help from their sponsors who lent a helping hand in ensuring the celebrations took place. “We had a lot of support from various companies including Mabitso Glass and Aluminium, Debonairs, Itau Mealie Milling, Big Macs, Plascon and Food Lovers Market. We also received support from local businessmen, including Thabiso Tlhomola from Sechaba Braai and Tsietsi Mohoaladi, as well as the Mangaung Metro Municipality.”
“The Nicro crime prevention programme works in conjunction with the schools and the parents”, Motshabi said. It was refreshing to see how active and supportive the parents were.
“One parent, who is originally from Lesotho, says she never thought her daughter would be able to talk in front of so many people, but she was proud of her presentation. I’m so happy that parents saw this as an opportunity to bond with their children, teaching them about themselves, while showing them their support,” said Motshabi.
– Seithati Semenokane
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