Cape Town Mission Field 

26 DECEMBER 2017
Day 17
Tuesday

Today was a typical day getting back to the routine at the office...however... it is the 'Day of Goodwill' here and everything is closed for the holiday so we were able to get caught up on reports and such at the office. No wonder there was no traffic...

History lesson:

Prior to 1994, this holiday was known as Boxing Day. The Day of Goodwill is celebrated on December 26. It is the third public holiday that is celebrated in the month of December. Unlike many of South Africa’s other holidays, the Day of Goodwill is a simple holiday for compassion and relaxation. There are only a few festivals and public events that are celebrated on December 26 in South Africa.

In 1994, South Africa’s new government replaced Boxing Day with the Day of Goodwill. While the holiday’s traditions did not change, the change was quite symbolic. Many South African officials viewed the creation of the Day of Goodwill as an indicator that South Africa was finally independent.

A Brief History of Colonial South Africa

Portuguese traders were the first Europeans to make contact with the indigenous people of South Africa. After the rest of Europe learned about the rich resources of South Africa, the Dutch government sent a military force and several trading companies to establish a colony. Once the British government learned that their Dutch rivals could benefit from South Africa’s resources, the British military was dispatched to South Africa. This resulted in a series of battles over the course of many years. Eventually, the British military emerged victorious. The British colony in South Africa emerged as one of the most influential powers on the entire African continent.

During the colonial power struggles between the British and the Dutch, property and labour were seized from South Africa’s indigenous people. Unfortunately, these extractive institutions carried over to the modern South African government’s policy of apartheid. When apartheid finally ended when Nelson Mandela’s government took over in 1994, many South Africans felt that they were finally free from British institutions. To celebrate this milestone, Britain’s Boxing Day was replaced with the day of Goodwill.