Celebrating our Living Heritage
WINNER: The winner of the poetry competition was Luloyisokazi Nonxuba.
Tuesday, 07 October 2025
CPUT’s annual Heritage Day Festival celebrated our living heritage and featured a vibrant mix of dance, music, poetry, fashion and art.
This year’s event was held at the Granger Bay Campus under the theme 20 Years of Growing from Greats – Celebrating our Living Heritage.
In her opening remarks, Brightness Mangolothi, Director of the Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change, highlighted the significance of the occasion.
“Heritage is not only about where we come from, but also about the legacy we are creating for future generations. So today, as we share in the beauty of poems, the flavours of traditional food, the rhythm of our songs, and the energy from our dance, we celebrate stories and experiences that connect us. This expression of heritage inspires us to build bridges across cultures.”
The keynote address was delivered by Dr Buntu Godongwana, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
“Heritage is about creating inclusive systems where culture and science co-exist and science is not the exclusive purview of one culture,” he stated in his address.
The programme included a presentation on Indigenous Knowledge in Water and Agriculture by Dr Evans Shoko, postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, cultural garments showcase by Fashion Design students and performances by the AmaXhosa Student Society and the Hanover Residence students.
As part of the heritage months celebrations, a call was put out to the university community to submit original poems for the Heritage Day Poetry Competition 2025. The winners of the competition were announced during the festival and the top four were invited to recite their work.
The winners were: Luloyisokazi Nonxuba (first), Kabelo Lekhoro (second), Ntsako Mohlala (third) and Lakhiwa Ngaka (fourth).
The winners’ work will be included in the official CPUT Poetry Anthology 2025.
The festival was a collaborative effort between the Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity & Social Change, CPUT Libraries, Faculty of Informatics and Design, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Marketing and Communication Department, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships and the Cape Town Hotel School.
Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: Frederickskennediji@cput.ac.za
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