The singular and monumental achievement of Enoch Mankayi Sontonga is that the song he compsed with the first verse Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika in 1897 not only became a political hymn of the New African Movement at the moment of its founding in 1903 and of the African National Congress (then known as the South African Native National Congress) at the moment of its founding in 1912, but it also became as of 1994 part of the national anthem of South Africa, as it had already been a national anthem of respectively, Tanzania in 1961, and Zambia in 1964. Such achievement deserves general recognition, particularly official recognition, as was to be the case in 1996. On Heritage Day of that year, on September 23, President Nelson Mandela unveiled a National Monument to Enoch Sontonga. In part, on this historic occasion, Mandela said the following: “I am deeply moved, to be part of the historic occasion to honour an African patriot, a distinguished son of South Africa, one who has bequeathed on our generation---generations before and generations to come---so much to celebrate and so much to be proud of. By the pride wirg which we bellowed your melody and its lyrics---in good times and bad---we were saying to you, Enoch Mankanyi Sontonga, that with your inspiration, we could move mountains. Today, we can do much more by honouring  you as a free nation, as masyers of our destiny, as beneficiaries of the blessings that you enjoined The Almighty to bring upon us. We are free at last. Africa is unshackled; and her spirit can rise majestically in a renaissance yet to come, but a renaissance that indeed will come, from the sweat of her children’s brows. In unveiling this memorial to Enoch Sontonga, in declaring this Enoch Sontonga Memorial Park, and in naming the 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. It is a great privilege for me to share in this homage to the memory of a great man, one who evoked Africa’s rebirth, even as the smoke lifted on a long and devastating era of battles lost to a better-armed force. In paying this tribute to Enoch Mankayi Sontonga, we are recovering a part of the history of our nation and our continent.” Not only Nelson Mandela, among the last surviving members of the New African Movement, recovered a part of African history through honoring Sontonga, earlier members of the Movement such as Solomon T. Plaatje, D. D. T. Jabavu and S. E. K. Mqhayi honored him by disseminating and/or amplifying Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. Plaatje recognized its importance by being the first to record it accompanied by Sylvia Colenso on the piano on 16 October 1923. The great Xhosa poet Mqhayi added further seven verses to the song  which were published in a pamphlet by Lovedale Press  in 1927. D. D. T. Jabavu, in a short sketch on the composer of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika, indicates that many of his invaluable documents and music sheets were lost through carelessness by his associates and friends. The text of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika in the Xhosa language is the following:

                                     Nkosi, sikelel’ iAfrika
                                 Malupakam’ upondo lwayo;
                                        Yiva imitandazo yetu
                                                 Usisikelele.
                                     Yihla Moya, yihla Moya,
                                      Yihla Moya Oyingcwele.
                                         Sikelela iNkosi zetu
                                       Zimkumbule umDali wazo;
                                          Zimoyike zezimhlonele,
                                                  Azisikelele.
                                         Sikelel’ amadod’ esizwe,
                                         Sikelela kwa nomlisela
                                   Ulitwal’ ilizwe ngomonde,
                                                  Uwusikelele.
                                         Sikelel’ amakosikazi
                                    Nawo onk’ amanenkazi;
                                  Pakamisa wonk’ umtinjana
                                                  Uwusikelele.
                                         Sikelela abafundisi
                                   Bemvaba zonke zelilizwe;
                                   Ubatwese ngoMoya Wako
                                                   Ubasikelele.
                                    Sikelel’ ulimo nemfuyo,
                                      Gxota zonk’ indlala nexifo;
                                          Zalisa ilizwe ngempilo
                                                    Ulisikelele.
                                          Sikelel’ amalinga etu
                                      Awomanyano nokuzaka,
                                    Awemfundo nemvisiswano
                                                     Uwasikelele.
                                           Nkosi sikelel’  iAfrika
                                      Cima bonk’ ubugwenxa bayo
                                            Nezigqito, nezono zayo
                                                    Uyisikelele.

An English translation is the following:

                                                  Lord, bless Africa
                                             May her horn rise high up
                                                   Hear thou our prayers
                                                     Lord bless us.
                                                   Lord , bless Africa
                                              May her horn rise high up
                                                    Hear thou our prayers
                                                   Lord bless us
                                                     Your family
                                                   Descend, O Holy Spirit
                                                 Descend, O holy Spirit
                                                      Lord bless us
                                                        Your family
                                                           (repeat)
                                                      Bless our chiefs;
                                           May they remember their Creator,
                                                 Fear Him and reverse Him,
                                                   That He may bless them.
                                                      Bless the public men
                                                      Bless also the youth
                                            That they may carry the land with patience
                                                   And that thou may bless them.
                                                      Bless the wives
                                                    And also all young women
                                                    Lift up all the young girls
                                                           And bless them.
                                                       Bless the ministers
                                             Of all the churches of this land;
                                                    Imbue them with Thy Spirit
                                                           And bless them.
                                              Bless agriculture and stock raising;
                                                    Banish all famine and disease;
                                                    Fill the land with good health
                                                           And bless it.
                                                     Bless our efforts
                                             Of union and self-upliftment,
                                             Of education and mutual understanding
                                                           And bless them.
                                                         Lord, bless Africa;
                                                     Blot out all its wickedness
                                                   And its transgressions and sins,
                                                           And bless it.
It was Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika that held the exiles together through spiritual unity with the country during the Exile Period, designated by the departure of Ezekiel Mphahlele to Nigeria in 1957, on the one hand, to the return of Mazisi Kunene from United States in 1993, on the other hand. The political hymn was sung from Paris to Moscow, from Nairobi to Los Angeles, from Cairo to Lagos. On becoming a free county in 1994, the national anthem is sung sky high in South Africa over the Pretoria Buildings. This is the enormous achievement to which President Nelson Mandela was paying tribute.