| The Day of Reconciliation is a public holiday in South Africa held annually on 16 December. The intention is to foster reconciliation between different racial groups. The holiday came into effect in 1994 after the end of Apartheid.
Before 1994, 16 December was commemorated as the Day of the Vow, also known as Day of the Covenant or Dingaan Day. The Day of the Vow was a religious holiday commemorating the Afrikaner victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838.
On the other side of the political spectrum, 16 December is also the anniversary of the 1961 founding of Umkhonto we Sizwe(Spear of the Nation), the armed wing of the African National Congress.
In more recent South African political developments, 16 December 2008 is set to mark the official founding of a new political party under the leadership of former Premier of Gauteng, Mbhazima Shilowa and former Minister of Defence, Mosiuoa Lekota. |
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