Which composer wrote the melody of South Africa’s “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” section?

Enoch Sontonga wrote the melody of the “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” section used in South Africa’s national anthem. Sontonga, a teacher and Methodist lay preacher, composed the tune around 1897. The original Xhosa hymn became widely known through church choirs and later through political gatherings.

South Africa’s current anthem combines material from “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” with the former apartheid-era anthem, “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika.” The combined version was introduced in 1997 and uses several South African languages, including Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English.

Sontonga wrote the melody, but the anthem’s modern arrangement is not simply his original hymn. Enoch Mankayi Sontonga also wrote the first stanza and refrain of the original song, while later performers and translators expanded its reach. Miriam Makeba is sometimes named in connection with the song because of her famous performances, but she did not compose its melody.