Mashatile: It's crucial to re-evaluate SA's heritage institutions to ensure their relevance

Deputy President Paul Mashatile said it's crucial to re-evaluate and reinvent the country's heritage institutions to ensure their relevance and accessibility.
 
Mashatile addressed the 2025 Heritage Day event in Oudtshoorn, in the Western Cape on Wednesday.
 
This year's theme is Reimagine Our Heritage Institutions for a New Era.
 
Mashatile said the theme emphasised the importance of leveraging heritage as a foundation for building a dynamic, socially responsive, technologically innovative, and economically inclusive future.
 
He added that it was a call for a fresh perspective on how the country can preserve its history in an ever-evolving landscape.
 
"This theme is even more important considering that South Africa has been hosting various G20 initiatives since the beginning of the year and will officially host the G20 Summit in November of this year."
 
Mashatile said that South Africans, irrespective of their culture, also have a responsibility to preserve and showcase their heritage locally and abroad.
 
"This is important because our heritage institutions nurture cultural identity, encourage unity, and offer economic opportunities in sectors such as tourism and the arts."

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