Braais, biltong, and belonging: Your Heritage Day checklist - IOL

Meghan Cyster reflects on connection and the traditions she hopes to carry forward.

September is when South Africans get to celebrate the things that make home feel like home. The food, the music, the people, the places, the family traditions and, naturally, the braai.

Dotsure, proud supporter of the 2026 Mrs South Africa pageant, asked a few of the Mrs SA finalists what belongs on their personal Heritage Day checklists. Their answers ranged from family meals and favourite songs to national parks, pets, and the values they hope to see carried into the next generation.

But there are plenty of other very South African things worth adding to the list.

Angelique Janse van Rensburg highlights everyday moments that make South Africa feel like home.

For Angelique Janse van Rensburg, heritage is closely tied to the people around her and that unmistakable feeling of coming home. Meghan Cyster also highlighted the importance of gathering around the family table.

Carika Bebb treasures their family values and traditions.

Heritage Day is also National Braai Day, so this one needs no explanation.

The finalists had plenty of opinions on what belongs on the grill, from boerewors to rib-eye steak and chops. The supporting cast matters too: braaibroodjies, potato salad, pap, and pampoenkoekies all received their due.

Your checklist:☐ Find the person who takes braai duty very seriously☐ Make the braaibroodjies☐ Wood, charcoal, or gas?☐ Keep pet safety and dietary requirements in mind

There is no single soundtrack, meal, or tradition that defines South Africa. That’s part of the fun.

The finalists mentioned everything from the South African National Anthem and Sister Bethina to the sound of a guinea fowl. 

☐ Add a South African classic to the playlist☐ Try a dish you didn’t grow up eating☐ Learn or teach someone from a different generation or culture, a unique South African phrase☐ Have the “who makes the best...” family debate

Pets came up repeatedly in the finalists' answers, and for good reason. For many South Africans, the family gathering includes whoever has four legs and thinks the couch belongs to them.

Angelique says the dogs in her family are treated like children, while Meghan credits her cats with teaching empathy and appreciation for life’s quieter moments.

Heritage is found in big traditions, but also in the ordinary things we keep doing together. That is the fun of celebrating our home and our people, because there is no single “checklist” for being South African. Your version might involve a braai and rugby, a family curry, a road trip, music from your childhood, a trip to the coast, or a Sunday surrounded by animals.

At Dotsure, we love the everyday things that bring people together. So, this Heritage Day, make some time for the things that make your version of South Africa worth celebrating.

Dotsure Limited (Registration number 2006/000723/06) is a licensed non-life insurer and authorised financial services provider (FSP39925). Voted South Africa’s Best Pet Insurance 2023-2025 by readers of The Star, Die Burger, Beeld, and City Press.