President Ramaphosa to lead Reconciliation Day commemoration

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, deliver a keynote address at the national commemoration of Reconciliation Day.

This year’s commemoration takes place at the Ncome Museum, Nquthu Local Municipality, within the uMzinyathi District in KwaZulu-Natal. 

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government will lead this year’s national event under the theme: “ Reaffirming Reconciliation for Future Generations. ”

This year’s theme enshrines on the call for South Africans to deepen commitment to unity, healing, forgiveness and nation-building for shared future.

The selection of the Battle of Blood River heritage site at the Ncome Museum signifies the value of cherishing unity and peace collectively as South Africans.

The fierce battle between the Voortrekker invaders and the Zulu forces unfolded 187 years ago in 1838 and marked a historical episode that shaped differing and often divisive commemorative customs for more than a century.

However, as a part of redressing the past injustices in South Africa, the democratic government redefined the day in 1995 as the National Day of Reconciliation onwards.

That was a unifying effort to transform the day from a symbol of division into a transformative platform for truth, justice, dialogue, healing and a shared nationhood. 

Hosting the 2025 programme at Ncome reaffirms this commitment and invites the nation to engage honestly with its complex past while advancing a future rooted in inclusion, understanding and unity.

The commemoration will take places as follows:
Date: 16 December 2025
Time: 08h00
Venue: Ncome Museum, in Nquthu KwaZulu-Natal Province

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya Spokesperson to the President media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria