what happened on workers day in south africa
International Workers' Day In South Africa, Workers' Day has been celebrated as a national public holiday on 1 May each year since 1994. It has its origins within the historical struggles of workers and their trade unions internationally for solidarity between working people in their struggles to win fair employment standards and more importantly, to establish a culture of human and worker rights and to ensure that these are enshrined in international law and the national law of those countries aligned to the International Labour Organization. In pre-1994 South Africa, the demand for the annual observance of the day as a public holiday became a rallying point for workers and their trade unions and was one of a number of annually significant days to symbolize and mobilize resistance to the Apartheid government and its racial policies.
Day of Reconciliation The Day of Reconciliation is a public holiday in South Africa held annually on 16 December. The holiday came into effect in 1994 after the end of apartheid, with the intention of fostering reconciliation and national unity for the country.[1] The date was chosen because it was significant to both Afrikaner and African cultures. The government chose a meaningful date for both ethnic groups because they recognize the need for racial harmony. The celebration of the Day of Reconciliation can take the form of remembering past history, recognizing veteran's contributions, marching and other festivities.