Do you know who Enoch Sontonga is?
BRAAMFONTEIN - If you frequent Braamfontein or study at Wits University, then you've probably seen Enoch Sontonga Avenue, but we bet you don't know who he was and why the road was named after him.
The busy Jorissen Avenue in Braamfontein becomes Enoch Sontonga Avenue after the Wits University west side campus’ entrance, and the road provides easy passage for students who live in the neighbouring residential areas.
So what do the familiar first words of the South African National Anthem have to do with this road you ask?
Well, you could have guessed it – it was a man named Enoch Sontoga who composed a section of the national anthem.
Sontonga was not a composer or professional musician, but worked as a teacher and choirmaster at the Methodist Mission School in Nancefield near Johannesburg.
He composed the anthem in 1897 as a hymn for the school choir, and while it was only a portion of the hymn that was incorporated into the final national anthem, he never intended for it to become what it is today.
Did you know that Nkosi Sikelel’ became the national anthem of five African countries, some of which still use it today.
On 24 September 1996, a day known as Heritage Day, the late President Nelson Mandela decided that Sontonga was a man who deserved recognition for his contribution to the country.
And so, just as the Enoch Sontonga Memorial Park recognised this contributor to South African history, so did the road which runs alongside the park receive the same respect.
Unfortunately the road is known as a site for muggings and other criminal activities. “Students should avoid walking along Enoch Sontonga Avenue after dark if possible,” said Robert Kemp from Wits Campus Control.
