GEORGE NEWS - Ouma Sarie’s hopes of meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa are still alive - but she will now have to cross the Outeniqua Mountains to do it.
George entertainer Moses Williams, better known as Ouma Sarie, had been looking forward to the possibility of finally meeting South Africa’s “first citizen” when the national Heritage Day celebrations were announced for George.
But in another last-minute change of plans, the national celebration has now been moved to Oudtshoorn.
The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture announced late on Tuesday 22 September that the event will take place at the Bongolethu Sport Stadium in Oudtshoorn on Thursday 24 September, with Ramaphosa delivering the keynote address.
So, if Ouma Sarie still wants that long-awaited encounter with the President, the N9 and Outeniqua Pass now stand between them.
The event was initially planned for KwaZulu-Natal, where it was to coincide with uMkhosi weLembe, the Zulu nation’s annual commemoration of King Shaka. Government later announced that the national celebration would instead be held in George, with the Presidency confirming Rosemoor Stadium as the venue as recently as Monday.
That plan, however, was short-lived.
According to Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, the department explored hosting the celebration in George, but George Municipality and the Western Cape Government were “unable and unwilling to make the accommodations needed to host the event at short notice”.
The Western Cape Government has disputed the way the matter has been characterised, saying George was given only a few days' notice and that an event of this scale requires advance planning for venues, security, infrastructure, municipal services and personnel. George Mayor Browen Johnson said the municipality's concern was not about hosting Heritage Day, but about the process followed.
Oudtshoorn subsequently accepted the invitation to host the event. The town also hosted the national Heritage Day celebration in 2025, when Deputy President Paul Mashatile officiated.
Thursday’s official programme starts at 09:00 at Bongolethu Sport Stadium, with entry free for up to 5 000 people. Ramaphosa is scheduled to deliver the keynote address and the theme is Celebrating Our Living Heritage: Strengthening the Ties That Bind Us.
McKenzie apologised to the George community, saying many residents had been looking forward to welcoming national leaders, particularly the President. He also said George would still get a national day in future.
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