This Day in History: 24 September 1996
On 24 September 1996, Heritage Day, the grave of Enoch Sontonga who composed and wrote the first verse and chorus of Nkosi, Sekelel' iAfrika, was declared a national monument. A fitting memorial erected on the sitewas unveiled by President Nelson Mandela. At the ceremony President Nelson Mandela awarded the Order of Meritorious Service (Gold) posthumously to Sontonga for his service to South Africa. . His granddaughter, Mrs Ida Rabotape received the award.
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, our national anthem, is a prayer for God's blessing on the land and its entire people. It was composed in 1897 and was initially meant to be a school anthem. A well-known Xhosa poetSamuel Mqhayi wrote seven additional stanzas for the song.