Cape Town runners celebrate Day of Reconciliation with "Race for Unity"

Over 1,000 Cape Town residents participated in a “Race for Unity” on Saturday morning to celebrate the Day of Reconciliation in South Africa.

The event featured a 10-kilometer run, and a 4.2-kilometer walk Most of the participants are residents from local neighborhoods, Runners of different colors, who came from a different cultural background chose to be part of the long-distance running to increase their understanding of different cultures they respectively represent.

The annual race for unity is to celebrate the Day of Reconciliation. Like many other celebratory events of the day, it has become more and more popular over the years.

“It’s a day where black and white, the citizens of South Africa come together to unite, after all the atrocities that happened against black majority. So it’s a good day; it’s a great day; it’s a step forward for South Africa,” said Zwai Wandle, participant.

The Day of Reconciliation was officially launched by the new South African government in 1994, in hope to bring all races together to bury the hardships from the apartheid and face the future together in harmony.