South Africa will join the rest of the continent in observing Africa Day on 25 May 2026. The month is an opportunity to advance unity, deepen regional integration and reaffirm a shared destiny. This period invites reflection and celebration of identity, heritage and cultural expression. It also calls on all Africans to work together in driving the development and progress of the continent.
During the establishment of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) in 1963, the African continent became a pioneer in being the first continent to focus on continental unity and to encourage nation building through unity and freedom from oppression, with this milestone being carried forward by its successor, the African Union (AU). As we commemorate Africa Month, we recognise our achievements whilst taking stock of progress made towards realising the vision of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 for a united and prosperous Africa. The AU has declared 2026 as the year of “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.” This theme elevates water and sanitation to a continental political priority, recognising them as catalysts for economic transformation, climate resilience, public health, food security, and regional stability.
Africa Day 2026 centres on the vision of a stronger, unified, and self-reliant continent, building upon the foundational theme: “Celebrating Years of Freedom: Building a Better Africa and a Better World”. Understanding African history is essential for shaping the continent's future, as it corrects distorted colonial narratives, restores self-identity and dignity, and provides critical context for solving modern political and socioeconomic challenges.
The public comment period on the draft History Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for Grades 4 to 12 closed on 19 May 2026. The draft curriculum was published in the Government Gazette for public comment, with the initial 30-day period due to close on 19 April 2026; however, Minister Gwarube extended the period by 30 days due to the public interest garnered. All submissions will be considered as part of the process to determine the content of the final curriculum. The Department remains committed to ensuring that the final History curriculum helps learners to think critically, engage evidence seriously, appreciate multiple perspectives, and develop a fuller understanding of South Africa’s past in relation to the continent and the globe.
The current publication forms part of a curriculum review process that has been underway for several years. During the fifth administration, the former Minister of Basic Education appointed a Ministerial Task Team to review the History curriculum. Its terms of reference included developing a new History curriculum for Grades 4 to 12, conducting provincial consultations, receiving public inputs and comments, screening textbooks for alignment with the proposed curriculum, and proposing teacher development programmes. The Task Team commenced its work in 2019. A draft framework was developed, and provincial consultations were undertaken across all nine provinces during 2023 and 2024. Inputs arising from those consultations were incorporated into the draft documents before they were presented to the Minister in January 2025. The draft was thereafter presented to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, to internal departmental structures, to HEDCOM, and to the Council of Education Ministers, which approved publication for public comment in November 2025. The draft curriculum has also been submitted to Umalusi for appraisal. Public submissions will therefore be important in informing the Department’s consideration of the draft in its current form and any further refinement of the proposed curriculum.
The draft defines school History in terms of enquiry, evidence, interpretation and critical engagement with the past, providing for the study of ancient and modern pasts, the use of historical and archaeological sources and the development of historical thinking, historical consciousness and historical culture. The framework underpinning the draft also considered a broad range of fields, including historiography; material culture and archaeology; African history; heritage and local history; labour history; language; gender and culture history; inland history; world history; pedagogy; historical skills; and assessment and progression.