HERITAGE month induces a different kind of reflection than the other South African public holidays; one which perhaps does not get the attention it deserves.

While many people see it as just another day off work, it is actually an important month for reflection on the state of our nation and our relationship with each other.

Individually and collectively we have come a long way but even those born-frees among us feel the effects of apartheid and its impact on the social psyche of our country.

South Africa, it seems, is moving through a difficult heritage space: a struggle between the heritage of the legacy of apartheid and the new heritage we are forging as a nation, 20 years into democracy.

An example of this disjuncture is that of two white university students dressing up as black maids, causing a divided reaction from many communities in South Africa.

Many people simply dismissed the heritage of apartheid and simply focused on post-1994 reality without realising that many peoples' realities differ to their's exactly because of this heritage.

The Gauteng City-Region Observatory recently released its 2014 survey which reflected a poor social space in this province. Trust between residents of Gauteng is at an all-time low. In fact 73% of black people said that they will never trust white people.

We have to question what has happened in this time to cause such degeneration in our social fabric. Does South Africa have a heritage dilemma?

My answer is yes. This is both a symptom of poor political leadership and of poor understanding between our country's diverse people.

This month should be about taking a litmus test of our social cohesion and looking at ways to bring about the unity we so desperately need. It goes beyond simply embracing our diversity. There is no other country in the world that is more aware of its differences as we are.

We need to reach a level of deeper understanding where we look at each other and acknowledge our differences with empathy.

Yes, poor political leadership in uniting a country plays an enormous role in this arena. The tone and direction of our relationships is set by political rhetoric and that is something that the ANC and the EFF dangerously play with.

But we need to stop using this as our only excuse and break down barriers on our own terms. For example, people of all races and backgrounds have taken a stand against e-tolling; we are united in a cause despite our differences.

The government and political parties should not be let off the hook for their race-card rhetoric and undermining social cohesion.

Our greatest leader, Nelson Mandela, brought us through our darkest time using unity as a drawcard and we should all fight fiercely to protect that. But each South African needs to take ownership of their future.

The value of diversity is in embracing each other's uniqueness and in using this to unite our country.

I challenge us this month to reflect not only on our own heritage, but on other people's heritage too. Let us reflect on the fact that in this vastly diverse country, heritage may mean different things to different people and may influence each person differently.

This does not make it wrong, it just makes it different.

We all need to take time to visit our country's heritage sites including the Apartheid Museum, the Hector Pietersen Memorial, the Voortrekker Monument, the Sharpeville Memorial, and start learning about fellow South Africans.

Heritage does not need to breed fear or misunderstanding. It will take just a little bit of work for us to get through this dilemma unscathed.

Chabalala is DA Gauteng spokesperson on arts, culture and heritage and Member of Gauteng Legislature

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