Call for heritage awards nominations

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the National Heritage Council of South Africa (NHC) invite heritage enthusiasts, cultural activists, communities and organisations to be part of acknowledging and honouring champions in the heritage sector.

Public nominations for the Golden Shield Heritage Awards will be closing tomorrow (Friday). The awards ceremony for all the finalists and winners would be held on 20 September 2019 at Meropa Casino and Entertainment World as part of Heritage Month celebrations. Limpopo will be the host province of the awards for the next three years. It was further learnt that through the awards since 2012, the NHC has honoured champions who work selflessly and made worthwhile contributions to the preservation and promotion of the country’s cultural and natural heritage.

Sport, Arts and Culture MEC Thandi Moraka was quoted in a statement to have said: “It is an excitement for us as a province to host these significant awards in the process of making sure that we preserve our heritage.”

Chief Executive Officer of the NHC Sonwabile Mancotywa reportedly reminded that heritage preservation and promotion needed to be placed at the centre of the developmental agenda. With the increasing number of nominations that they continue to receive every year for the Golden Shield Heritage Awards, it shows that citizens have pride in their own heritage, he explained.

“We appeal to fellow citizens to nominate those who may not be aware that their works deserve to be acknowledged and recognised for their selfless efforts. Through a platform such as these awards, the NHC also gets to become aware of the great works by our communities. This is what fuels us at the NHC to do more in realising our vision of a nation proud of its African heritage,” Mancotywa remarked.

Categories for the 2019 Golden Shield Heritage Awards include the National Living Treasure, Local Government Commitment, Preferred Heritage Destination, Young Heritage Activist, Academic Excellence, Voice of Heritage, Heritage Corporate Citizen, Liberation Heritage Steward, Heritage Education, and Differentially Able people.

Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za