KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in collaboration with the City of Umhlathuze hosted National Book Week on the 8-9 September 2026 at Ngwelezane Hall and Ntambanana Library. Our Library Services has rolled out a series of activities, from story telling to membership drive. The theme "The Books of Our Lives" remains the centre of activities.

10/09/2026

Kwanele MaMdluli Zondi, affectionately known as MaMshengele, is a former Umkhosi Womhlanga maiden who bid farewell to her journey in 2025 after marrying into ubukhosi baKwaMpumuza.

In this conversation, she reflects on her journey through Umkhosi Womhlanga, sharing what the experience has meant to her, its significance in her life, and how it has shaped the woman she is today.

She also opens up about some of the challenges she encountered along the way, offering an honest reflection on the journey beyond the celebration, including the lessons, growth, discipline and experiences that have stayed with her.

As she reflects on her journey, MaMshengele shares words of encouragement for current maidens. She emphasises the importance of understanding the different stages of the journey and encourages young maidens to seek guidance from osisi abadala and onomehlo, those with experience who can guide and support them along the way.

She further encourages maidens to embrace the experience and make the journey a fun and meaningful one rather than viewing it as a burden. For her, being a maiden is not only about the responsibilities that come with the journey, but also about creating memories, building sisterhood, learning and appreciating the experience while it lasts.

Through her story, MaMshengele offers a personal perspective on the meaning of Umkhosi Womhlanga and the lasting impact of a journey deeply rooted in culture, identity, tradition and sisterhood.

10/09/2026

The Golden Games selections for the Umgungundlovu District are happening right now at Alexandra Park in Pietermaritzburg. Mama Victoria Gcabashe one of the participants shares her story.

10/09/2026

09/09/2026

ALL ROADS LEAD TO EMASHOBENI ROYAL PALACE FOR 2026 UMKHOSI WOMHLANGA

Logistical arrangements are highly advanced for the 2nd leg of Umkhosi Womhlanga 2026 set for 11 to 13 September 2026 at eMashobeni Royal Palace, oPhongolo, northern KwaZulu-Natal. Umkhosi Womhlanga (Reed Dance), is one of the province’s most significant cultural and moral regeneration ceremony organised by his Majesty King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini supported by KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture on behalf of the provincial government.

The first leg of the annual ceremony proved to be a huge success at eMachobeni Royal Palace last weekend attracting more than 5000 maidens. Now with the main one just days away, numbers are expected to soar to tens of thousands as maidens from KwaZulu-Natal and beyond, clad in their colourful beads and traditional regalia in display of their purity and pride for abstinence converge to His Majesty King Misuzulu KaZwelithini’s Emashobeni Royal Palace.


Umkhosi Womhlanga celebrates Zulu culture, purity, identity, dignity and Ubuntu, while reinforcing the values of responsible citizenship and positive social development among young women. Abstinence and positive moral campus is taught to promote moral regeneration, social cohesion and the positive upbringing of the girl child.

The ceremony serves as an important platform to empower young women, restore dignity, promote self-worth and instil values that will enable them to become responsible adults. Beyond its cultural significance, Umkhosi Womhlanga continues to make a meaningful contribution to local economy. The annual event attracts domestic and global visitors, guests and tourists providing a much needed economic boost to accommodation establishments, tourism operators, transport services, traders and other businesses in host communities.

His Majesty King Misuzulu Ka Zwelithini will receive the reeds presented by the participating maidens, predominantly from far, wide and beyond KZN boarders, who will be led by a Royal Princess.

09/09/2026

🎥NFVF PROJECTS🎞️

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and Tier 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating Production Company for the Youth Filmmaker Project for a period of three (3) years.

🗓️Closes: 07 October 2026, at 17h00
Submit here: https://nfvf.praxisgms.co.za/
📧 For general enquiries: [email protected] or [email protected]

Visit www.nfvf.co.za or see the link in our bio.

09/09/2026

MEC KHAWULA WELCOMES THE DECLARATION OF CURRIES FOUNTAIN STADIUM AS A PROVINCIAL HERITAGE SITE

MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Hon. Mntomuhle Khawula has welcomed the declaration of Curries Fountain Stadium in Durban as a Provincial Heritage Site in terms of the KwaZulu-Natal Amafa and Research Institute Act.

The declaration by KwaZulu-Natal Amafa and Research Institute, formally acknowledges the Curries Fountain Stadium as a site of exceptional historical, cultural and social significance to the people of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa.

Named after Durban’s first reliable water source, established on this site in 1878, it was officially designated as a sports ground in 1924. It became an important venue for multiple sport codes, social, recreational and labour movement activities while also playing a vital role in the struggle for non-racial sport.

The site further served as a center for resistance to apartheid and now stands as a symbol of reflection that mirrors the province’s rich intangible heritage. It became a place that documents the history of sport among communities who experienced racial exclusion, while demonstrating how those communities used sport and sporting spaces to build identity, community and resilience.

The declaration of Curries Fountain Stadium as a Provincial Heritage Site acknowledges not only its physical and historical importance but also its intangible heritage value and its enduring significance to the communities and individuals whose histories are connected to the site.

The KwaZulu-Natal Amafa and Research Institute recognizes that heritage conservation is most meaningful when it contributes to the preservation of collective memory and ensures that significant places remain accessible to present and future generations. The declaration of this site represents an important step in recognising and protecting a place that holds historical, cultural and social significance, ensuring that the heritage significance of Curries Fountain Stadium is formally recognised and protected for future generations.

It is on this backdrop that MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Hon. Mntomuhle Khawula in collaboration with the KwaZulu-Natal Amafa and Research Institute extends his appreciation to all stakeholders, heritage practitioners, organizations, sporting communities and members of the public who have contributed to the identification, documentation and recognition of the heritage significance of Curries Fountain Stadium.

“Curries Fountain Stadium precinct is more than just a stadium, it is a living archive of KwaZulu-Natal’s journey toward a non-racial, democratic, resilient and socially cohesive province. In modern times, the site continues to resonate as a common ground, a place where diverse cultures gather for entertainment events, community programmes, and celebrations of heritage. Its legacy connects both the past and present; from the fight against exclusion to today’s vision of social cohesion and shared identity,” said MEC Khawula.

08/09/2026

Stories and books take centre stage this week as we observe National Book Week under the theme "The Books of Our Lives."

Our Library Services team is spread across the province, encouraging communities to read and to register as library patrons.