The Department of Arts and Culture will this week launch the #IAMTHEFLAG campaign, an initiative aimed at promoting and entrenching national consciousness, social cohesion, nation building and patriotism among South Africans.

Department Minister Nathi Mthethwa will launch the campaign on Friday morning at the Randburg Taxi Rank where he would also unpack it and explain its essence.

Government has identified Nation Building and Social Cohesion as one of the priorities for the current mandate period, as envisioned in the National Development Plan and detailed in the Medium-term Strategic Framework 2014-2019, Outcome 14.

It was for this reason that the department was coordinating and mobilising society for the campaign.

At the pre-launch of the event, flyers, handheld flags, passports mirror socks, and other promotional materials would be distributed to taxi drivers, vendors, commuters and the general public.

This would be in an effort to mobilise ordinary South Africans from all walks of life around the campaign, the department said in a statement.

The campaign would move to Saturday at the Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Kaizer Chiefs game the Loftus Versveld Stadium, Pretoria, where Mthethwa would deliver a short speech pledging his support for the campaign before kick-off.

Supporting the campaign is the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO).

Mthethwa and SANTACO have encouraged corporates, civic organisations, NGOs, celebrities and South Africans in general to embrace the campaign and to creatively come up with their own plans in support of this national call.

Source: South African Government News Agency