Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie Defends Die Stem in National Anthem

In a robust debate at the South African parliament, Minister of sport, arts and culture Gayton McKenzie expressed his determined stance to keep the Afrikaans segment of the national anthem intact, despite the Economic Freedom Fighters' (EFF) objections. Addressing his fellow members of parliament during the department’s budget vote, McKenzie rose as a formidable defender of South Africa's emblematic anthem, characterized by its multilingual composition reflecting the nation's multicultural fabric.

Die Stem van Suid-Africa (The Call of South Africa) was originally penned as a poem by Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven in 1918, encapsulating a tribute to the nation's landscape, heritage, and community spirit. Through its musical adaptation in subsequent years, it resonated with and unified many Afrikaans-speaking citizens, eventually being adopted as the national hymn in a milieu of intense Afrikaner nationalism in 1938, during which it stood side by side with the British monarchy's anthem.

The advent of South African democracy in 1994 ushered in a transformative era where celebrating the country's all-encompassing cultural wealth became a priority. Ascending from its multicultural roots, the creation of a new national anthem ensued, a melodious tapestry interweaving five of the eleven official languages: Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, and isiZulu.

Annotating his passionate viewpoint, McKenzie underscored the anthem's symbolic representation of South Africa's challenging yet triumphant historical journey. Amidst vocal concerns raised by EFF MP and prominent actor Fana Mokoena, who sharp contrasted the acceptance of Die Stem to tolerating the apartheid-era flag, McKenzie confidently refuted such equivalences, delineating the distinction between a condemned flag and a cherished national symbol.

McKenzie's spirited proclamation reveals an unwavering commitment to foresight and inclusivity over the anchoring in historical grievances. He emphasizes that Die Stem's inclusion in the national anthem is both a marker of past tribulations and a celebratory note of progress, reflective of a nation that chooses to simultaneously acknowledge its complex past and hope for the future.