by Dr Sane Moleko
SIOPSA Executive Member: Brand and Marketing
Heritage Day is celebrated on 24 September and is an opportunity for South Africans to acknowledge, embrace and share the diversity of cultures, traditions, beliefs, languages and so much more that forms the foundation, history and uniqueness of our country. The celebration of our Rainbow Nation takes many forms from dressing up in cultural attire, sharing of traditional cuisine, regaling stories of cultural differences to enjoying a braai! The core of all of this being unifying in celebration of our diversity and the wealth and strength it brings.
Reflecting on 2020 and the global impact of Covid 19 we would be remise to not take the opportunity of Heritage Day 2020 to acknowledge the difficult year it has been, mourn the losses in many forms we have experienced and take the opportunity to celebrate how we have come through this and continue to strive and work to overcoming the impacts of Covid 19. A country known for its Ubuntu, openness and warmth to people and celebration, has been locked in social distancing and isolation for months and this Heritage Day we celebrate that despite it all, we remain resilient!
A critical part of our Heritage is the stance against violence, racism and discrimination and creating a fair and equitable society for all. We have seen pervasive acts of gender-based violence and increased reported incidents of racism and discrimination. The Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology in South Africa (SIOPSA) believes that there is no space for racism and discrimination in our country. We stand in support of those who have experienced gender-based violence, racism and discrimination and work with individuals, organisations, communities and our own Society to drive the change. Reflecting on the past, acknowledging how far we have come and what we value in the present, what we choose to do today defines what we preserve for future generations and this requires that we strive to eradicate the current injustices.
Dating back to 1984, SIOPSA is proud to be a part of the Heritage of our country. We as an organisation, strive to create a space for diversity in thinking, practice and enable this in the organisations and communities in which we work. We have seen significant growth in our society and country. As we consider the year ahead and impact we would like to make, the wellbeing of all our people and country remains at the center of what we do. We remain focused on our mission to help develop a fair and humane work environment, enabling people to reach their full potential and experience a high quality of work life in South Africa, for all our people in this rich, diverse country.
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing on Heritage Day we celebrate you!
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