Gayton McKenzie tells MPs Die Stem is here to stay

Minister of sport, arts and culture Gayton McKenzie says he has no intention of removing the Afrikaans part of the national anthem despite the EFF’s criticism.

Addressing parliament during his department’s budget vote, McKenzie told MPs it was important for politicians to defend preserving the integrity of the anthem.

“We have one of the most beautiful national anthems. Die Stem is part of who we were and who we’ve become. You cannot pinpoint some issues. We must protect the national anthem,” he said.

Die Stem was penned as a poem by Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven in 1918. The poem speaks about the nation’s history, its people and the natural beauty of the country.

It was later set to music and became an Afrikaans song. In 1938, amid a backdrop of Afrikaner nationalism, Die Stem was adopted as the national anthem of SA alongside God Save the King/Queen, the British national anthem.

When SA became a democracy in 1994, the ANC government created a new national anthem that would reflect the country’s diverse cultures and languages. The anthem is a hybrid song that includes five of the country's 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. 

McKenzie said he would safeguard the anthem. 

“Die Stem being included is an expression of how far we’ve come as a nation. I sing ‘Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika’, ‘God bless Africa’, ‘Setjhaba sa heso’ as hard as I sing ‘Uit die blou van onse hemel’.”

In response to queries about Die Stem and its association with apartheid by veteran actor and EFF MP Fana Mokoena, who said accepting Die Stem was akin to accepting the apartheid flag, McKenzie rebuffed the comparison.

“The two go together in your world, not in the real world because in the real world the flag no longer exists. Die Stem is part of the national anthem. I will accept it,” he said.

“There are so many of you who want us to live in the past. We have moved on. We will not be ashamed to say we support Die Stem being part of the national anthem.”

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