April 19, 2005
By Ndaba Dlamini
IT was a sunny autumn morning and the birdsong matched the tranquillity of the wreath laying ceremony held for Enoch Sontonga at the Braamfontein Cemetery on Monday, 18 April.
Sontonga was the man who wrote South Africa's national anthem, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika".
Scores of people paid tribute to the man who died 100 years ago, leaving behind an indelible legacy in the form of the hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika". Those paying their respects at the event organised by Johannesburg City Parks included the Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Zwelidinga Pallo Jordan and representatives of the Sontonga family.
Sontonga, described as a "great son of Africa", died at the age of 33 and was buried at the Braamfontein Cemetery on 19 April 1905, according to the cemetery register. He was born in 1873 in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape.
The Ikhwezi Chorale sing 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
City of Johannesburg mayoral committee member for community development, roads and parks, Councillor Christine Walters, standing in for the Executive Mayor, Councillor Amos Masondo, said Sontonga played a great role in uniting Africa's nations.
"Sontonga is one of the greatest South Africans. Today we salute this great man who conquered adversity. Today's event shows us that we have come a long way even though we are still a young democracy."
Opening the ceremony, Ikhwezi Chorale, dressed in cream and black, sang the anthem. An original version of the hymn, accompanied by the beat of drums, was played on a radio system and got most of the people in attendance tapping and nodding to the haunting rhythm.
No other man in the history of South Africa had touched lives as Sontonga, according to Jordan, who described Sontonga as "a gifted man of humble origins".
"Obviously, when Sontonga composed the song he did not anticipate the massive impact [it] would have on South Africa and Africa as a whole. The hymn was the first national anthem, sung in KiSwahili, of independent Tanzania. The song has also been sung in Zambia, Zimbabwe and many other African countries."
Sontonga wrote the first verse and chorus, and also composed the music in 1897. The song was sung in public in 1899 at the ordination of Reverend Boweni, a Shangaan Methodist minister. It was also sung as the closing anthem at the first meeting of the African National Congress on 8 January 1912.
"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was first recorded on vinyl on 16 October 1923 by the legendary Solomon Tshekiso Plaatje. The song was also published in a newspaper, "Umthetheli Wabantu", on 11 June 1927.
Searching for Sontonga's grave
The search for Sontonga's grave began in 1987. After several fruitless attempts, the National Monuments Council became aware that Sontonga was buried in Braamfontein Cemetery in Johannesburg.
"The purpose of the search was to declare the grave a national monument, which is the greatest honour that can be bestowed on a site of such historical and cultural significance. It was not until Hal Shaper [author and musician] of Cape Town prompted the cemetery officials to look for an entry in the burial register under Enoch, rather than Sontonga, and to look at burial records for 1905, that success was achieved," Jordan said.
In 1996 the National Monuments Council instructed the then Johannesburg parks and technical services department to locate the exact location of Sontonga's grave.
The Sontonga Memorial Committee was formed, and it took months of painstaking work before his grave was finally located.
Enoch Sontonga's great granddaughter, Ida Rabotapi, and Minister of Arts and Cultre, Pallo Jordan, at the memorial
On 24 September 1996, former president Nelson Mandela unveiled the memorial on the first Heritage Day celebrated in South Africa. During the unveiling ceremony, Mandela paid tribute to Sontonga, saying "we are recovering a part the history of our nation and our continent".
"In unveiling this memorial to Enoch Sontonga, in declaring this Enoch Sontonga Park, and in naming Enoch Sontonga Avenue, we are formalising the honour that we have kept in our hearts and, as a united nation, acknowledging an epic contribution to Africa's quest for her dignity."
Jordan lamented the loss of Sontonga's exercise book in which, it is believed, he recorded many of his songs. He appealed to musicians, artists and composers to record their work for posterity.
"Even though Sontonga kept a record of his songs in an exercise book, all his efforts were lost during the forced removals when the book went missing whilst in the possession of a relative. I appeal to artists to ensure that their work is preserved for posterity's sake in the National Archives."
Jordan, Walters, the chairperson of the board of directors for Johannesburg City Parks, Pumla Radebe, and representatives of the Sontonga family laid wreaths and at the end of the ceremony replicas of the Enoch Sontonga memorial were presented to the Sontonga family and dignitaries.
"There is a saying that goes 'those whom the gods love died young' - Sontonga was one of those. His work will be immortalised as South Africa's and other African countries' national anthems," said Jordan.
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