Enoch Mankayi Sontonga

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Enoch Mankayi Sontonga

Enoch Mankayi Sontonga (* 1872 or 1873 in Uitenhage ; † April 18, 1905 in Johannesburg ) was a South African missionary teacher. He is the composer of the political song Nkosi Sikelel 'iAfrika , which has become an integral part of South Africa's national anthem, which has been in effect since 1996 .

Life

Enoch Mankayi Sontonga was born into a Xhosa family in what was then the British Cape . He received his education at a school of the Lovedale Mission , later the Methodist Mission School of Nancefield (near present-day Soweto ). Within the Methodist mission he worked as a teacher, and his duties also included leading the choir. He also worked as a photographer.

Sontonga married Diana Mgqibisa († 1929 in Johannesburg), daughter of a prominent dignitary of the African Methodist Episcopal Church .

In 1897 he wrote the first verse with refrain of the song Nkosi Sikelel 'iAfrika and composed the melody for it. It was sung for the first time in 1899 on the occasion of the ordination of the Reverend Boweni. It made a huge impression on people and quickly became popular. Until 1923 seven stanzas from the pen of the writer Samuel Edward Krune Loliwe Ngxekengxeke Mqhayi were added to the song . At the first meeting of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), the predecessor of the African National Congress (ANC), it was sung on January 8, 1912 after a common prayer at the end of the event. In 1925 it became the official ANC anthem .

Death and grave

When he died at the age of 33, he left behind a wife and son. After the exact location was not known for a long time, his grave was located in the cemetery of Braamfontein , today a district of Johannesburg. It was declared a national monument on September 24, 1996, Heritage Day, and inaugurated as the Enoch Sontonga Memorial by Nelson Mandela . On the occasion of this honor, Sontonga was posthumously awarded the South African Order of Merit in Gold, which his granddaughter had received.

Exhibition on the hymn and its creator in the Amathole Museum

The notice of death in Imvo Zabantsundu (German: "Africa's opinion") of June 27, 1905 contained the following text:

"SONTONGA, E. Johannesburg. On April 18, 1905 ENOCH M. SONTONGA passed away. He was not sick this time. He, however, suffered at times from stomach ache to the extent that he would predict that these were his last days on this earth. One Sunday he requested to take a photograph of his wife. The wife refused because she was suffering a toothache that particular day. This young man was a composer for the Church of Rev. PJ Mzimba at one location in Johannesburg. He was also a photographer and a lay preacher. He is survived by his wife and one child. He was born in Uitenhage and was 33 years old. "

One of the themes of the permanent exhibition on the Xhosa people in the Amathole Museum in King William's Town is the merits of Sontonga.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. We are now going on the attack . In: Der Spiegel . No. 33 , 1985 ( online interview with Oliver Tambo ).
  2. artefacts.co.za
  3. zar.co.za