Celebrating the life and times of Enoch Sontonga

The late Enoch Sontonga was a prominent choirmaster, composer and poet who was born and raised in the town of Uitenhage. He is known for his work in shaping the country’s national identity through music.

He trained as a teacher at the Lovedale Training College after which he was sent to a Methodist mission school in Nancefield, near Johannesburg in 1896. He taught here for nearly eight years.

Sontonga was the choirmaster at his school, as well as an amateur photographer. He married Diana Mgqibisa, the daughter of a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who passed away in 1929. They had a son.

Sontonga was a distinguished and productive poet and, on occasions, preached in his church. As a choirmaster in his school, Enoch Sontonga composed the first two stanzas of democratic South Africa’s anthem in 1897.

Although initially intended for his school choir, “Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika” was first performed in 1899 at an ordination service of Reverend Mboweni, the first Tsonga Methodist Priest to be ordained.

Sontonga wrote the song “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” (God Bless Africa) in 1897, which would go on to become a symbol of resistance against apartheid in the 20th century.

The song’s lyrics were written in Xhosa and Zulu, two of South Africa’s official languages, and it was later translated into other languages, including English to create the South African national anthem.

The song was adopted as Zambia’s national anthem in 1960. Tanzania (then Tanganyika) translated it into Swahili, “Mungu ibariki Afrika”, also adopting it as its national anthem. It was also widely sung in the Shona language in Zimbabwe.  

The song’s popularity continued to grow, and it was eventually adopted by the African National Congress (ANC) and other anti-apartheid movements as a symbol of their struggle against racial oppression.

In 1994, “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” was adopted as South Africa’s national anthem, along with “Die Stem,” which had previously been the country’s anthem during the apartheid era.

Despite his impact on South African music and culture, Sontonga died at a young age of 32 caused by tuberculosis in 1905. However, his legacy has lived on, and every year on April 18, the anniversary of his death, people across South Africa gather to honor his memory and celebrate his contributions to their country.

Sontonga lived in Pimville, Soweto, Johannesburg, Transvaal (now Gauteng).

Imvo ZabaNtsundu, an IsiXhosa newspaper reported on the 27 June 1905, that “he was not sick that time. He however suffered at times from stomach ache to the extent that he would predict that these were his last day on this earth”. He was buried in the “non-Whites” section of the Braamfontein Cemetery in Johannesburg.

The celebration typically includes a procession through the town where Sontonga was born and raised, followed by a concert featuring South African musicians and singers who perform a variety of music, from traditional African songs to modern pop hits, all with a connection to Sontonga’s legacy. The celebration also includes speeches, poetry readings, and other cultural activities.

Today, “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” remains an important part of South Africa’s national identity, and it serves as a reminder of the country’s complex history and ongoing struggles for justice and equality.