Origins of our National Anthem: The song designed to unite a nation

Dan Corder (in for John Maytham on CapeTalk) speaks with Gabi Le Roux, renowned South African keyboardist, composer, and music producer.

Listen below:

Our anthem came about during a challenging time in our country, as apartheid was coming to an end.

However, there is an alarming trend of Afrikaans speakers only singing the Afrikaans portion of the anthem.

This is raising concerns that the unity the anthem is supposed to symbolise is being eroded, and the anthem is becoming a marker of division.

Le Roux - who is best known for his work on Mandoza’s iconic hit ‘Nkalakatha’ - says the creation of this anthem came after significant research.

“There was a committee put together to research and look at what would be the most unifying anthem at that time.”

- Gabi Le Roux, Keyboardist, Composer & Music Producer

The research team decided to blend Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika and Die Stem van Suid-Afrika for what was initially intended to be an interim anthem.

Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika was composed by a schoolteacher in the late 1890s, and Die Stem van Suid-Afrika was a poem written about 20 years later.

Die Stem became an anthem in 1957, replacing God Save the Queen.

Scroll up to the audio player for more.