Larysa Smirnoff's video: The national anthem of South Africa vocal and instr The Accordion orchestra played

The national anthem of South Africa was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining extracts of the 19th century Xhosa hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (English: "God Bless Africa", lit. '"Lord Bless Africa"') and the Afrikaans song that was used as the South African national anthem during the apartheid era, "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" (English: "The Voice of South Africa"), with new English lyrics. The anthem is often referred to by its incipit of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika", but this has never been its official title, which is simply "National Anthem of South Africa". The committee responsible for this new composition included Anna Bender, Elize Botha, Richard Cock, Dolf Havemann (Secretary), Mzilikazi Khumalo (chairman), Masizi Kunene, John Lenake, Fatima Meer, Khabi Mngoma, Wally Serote, Johan de Villiers, and Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph. The lyrics employ the five most widely spoken of South Africa's eleven official languages – Xhosa (first stanza, first two lines), Zulu (first stanza, last two lines), Sesotho (second stanza), Afrikaans (third stanza), and English (final stanza). The lyrics are sung in these languages regardless of the native language of the singer. The first half was arranged by Mzilikazi Khumalo and the latter half of the song was arranged by Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, who also wrote the final verse.The fact that it shifts (modulates) and ends in a different key (from G major to D major), a feature that it shares with the Italian and the Philippine national anthems,makes it compositionally unusual. In recent years, the South African national anthem has come under criticism for its Afrikaans verse as it was originally part of the national anthem of South Africa that was used during the apartheid era,with some such as the Economic Freedom Fighters calling for the verse to be removed, supposedly because of this connection.Others defend the inclusion of the verse, pointing out that it is included in large part due to the wishes of the first post-apartheid South African president, Nelson Mandela, who intended its inclusion as a reconciliatory measure for the post-apartheid future of South Africa. First verse, first two lines in Xhosa: Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo First verse, last two lines in Zulu: Yizwa imithandazo yethu Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo. Second verse in Sotho: Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa, South Afrika, South Afrika. Third verse in Afrikaans: Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes Waar die kranse antwoord gee Fourth verse in English: Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand. Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa, our land.