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South African Flag. Photo By Positive_Images –

Top 10 Facts about The South African National Anthem

South African National Anthem was adopted in 1997, 3 years after Nelson Mandela’s election. It is a combination of the songs, N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika and Diem Stem van Suid Afrika, and has an additional English verse. The anthem is also written in two modulations making it the only anthem with such a feature in Africa.

N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika was a hymn that represented the struggle for African unity and expansive culture. It was first performed in 1899, 2 years after its composition, and became a popular song amongst the non-whites.

Before it became part of the national anthem, Diem Stem van Suid Afrika was largely used by the South African Broadcasting Corporation in its television programs. It was officially declared the South African anthem in 1957 and continued as so until 1997.

The elements of the two songs were combined to form the current South African National Anthem. The anthem is a symbol of unifying both whites and non-whites of South Africa. Throughout the years, the anthem has been modified to a much shorter rendition than its original version.

1. It Is The Fifth National Anthem of South Africa

Flag of South Africa, also known as the Oranje-Blanje-Blou, used from 31 May 1928 until 27 April 1994. Photo By Parliament of South Africa  –

Before its current anthem, South Africa had 4 national anthems from 1901 to 1997. Its anthem, God Save The King, was its first anthem before it gained its independence. It was then followed by God Save the Queen (1952-1957) and lastly, N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika (1994-1997). Diem Stem van Suid Afrika (1938-1997) however had been part of the co-national anthems throughout SA’s history until its official merge with N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika in 1997.

2. South Africa Had Two National Anthems During The 1900s

Before 1997, South Africa had co-national anthems to represent the white and non-whites. God Save The King /Queen was used as an anthem in the early 20^th century to represent SA in the Commonwealth realm. N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika was a common song with people of color while Die Stem van Suid Afrika was used by white South Africans.

In the 1900s, N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika was used as the African National Congress (ANC) theme song as it resonated more with people of colour than whites. It was sung as a form of defiance against apartheid policies. Diem Stem van Suid Afrika was initially used in South African programs and was first sung publicly during the raising of the South African National flag in 1938.   

Read on the ANC anti-apartheid movements in South Africa here.

3. The South African National Anthem Was A Shortened Form From Its Initial Version

Nelson Mandela 1994. Photo Source

After the 1994 general elections, Mandela’s mission was to unite the people of SA. He wanted an anthem that resonated with both whites and non-whites. At the time, SA had implemented N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika and Die Stem van Suid-Afrika as dual anthems.  

However, having two lengthy anthems took a much longer time to perform than the average national anthem. It was a tedious exercise and this called for a review. In 1997, both anthems were merged and shortened to form the current version of the anthem.

4. Part of The South African National Anthem Was Translated More Than 200 Times

The anthem, Die Stem van Suid-Afrika was the sole national anthem from 1957 to 1994. It had been translated over 200 times combining the best parts into a single English music piece.

Die Stem van Suid Afrika was performed for the first time in 1952 and after some revision, its final version was used as the official anthem. After serving as the national anthem for 37 years, it was merged as part of the national anthem.

5. The South African National Anthem Is Composed Of A Religious Hymn

Image of Christian Holy Book and Symbol of Cross. Photo By StockSnap –

In 1994, Nelson Mandela announced that the hymn song Nkosi Sikelel’ I’Afrika be included as part of the National Anthem. It was previously used in some Bantusans namely Ciskei, Transkei, KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa, Gamzankulu, KaNgwane, and KwaNdebele.

The hymn was originally composed by a Johannesburg clergyman, Enoch Sontonga in 1897 as a one-verse song. The South African national anthem is occasionally referred to as Nkosi Sikelel’ I’Afrika, an incipit of the anthem.

6. The South African National Anthem Has An Unusual Musical Composition

National anthem of South Africa, page 1. Photo By Enoch Sontonga –

Unlike other music pieces, the South African national anthem is sung on different music keys. It has two major modulations mainly because it is the combination of two separate pieces.

The musical piece of N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika was written in B flat major whilst Die Stem van Suid Afrika was written in E flat major. The melody of the national anthem, however, is composed in G major but ends in D major. The anthem shares this unique aspect with Philippine and the Italian national anthem.

7. It Is Written In Different Languages

The two individual compositions of the national anthem, N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika and Die Stem van Suid Afrika are written in more than two different languages. The first verse of the anthem is written in IsiXhosa and IsiZulu, the second in Sesotho, the third in Afrikaans, and the final in English.

Read more on the languages of South Africa here.

8. Some Words in the Original South African National Anthem Were Omitted

To ensure the national anthem was all-inclusive, verses and terms that referred to a specific group of people such as The Great Trek of the Dutch-speaking settlers in Die Stem van Suid Afrika and the Christian term Woza Moya in N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika were omitted.

Die Stem van Suid Afrika also had a dedicated verse to the Afrikaners, descendants of the Dutch settlers, which was similarly removed to make up the current national anthem.

9. It Is A Reflection of Optimism After The Apartheid Era

The final verse of the anthem was written as a message of hope. It speaks protection of the land of SA by its people. It was also a way of showing patriotism and unity amongst all South Africans regardless of color.

Read more on facts about apartheid in South Africa here.

10. Part of The South African National Anthem Is Incorporated In Other African National Anthems

Snippet of the Map Of Africa. Photo By Smallman –

Before 1994, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Zambia used the lyrics of N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika as part of their national anthem. Some of these countries still retain either the melody or their version of the hymn today.

Namibia used the song as its anthem until 1991 when a new one was adopted. Zambia used it as its anthem after it gained independence in 1964. This was short-lived since the country adopted other lyrics in 1973. Zambia, however, maintained the melody of the South African hymn.

In Zimbabwe, N’Kosi Sikele’ I’Afrika was translated to Ndebele and Shona under the title Ishe Komborera Africa. It was used as the national anthem for 14 years post-independence and was replaced by an original Zimbambwe creation in 1994.