South Africa want apology for anthem fiasco

London – The South African Hockey Association has demanded an apology from the organisers of Investec London Cup women’s tournament in Chiswick for the anthem fiasco ahead of their clash with Great Britain.

The organisers by mistake played ‘Die Stem’, which was South Africa’s national anthem during the apartheid period, before the match Tuesday evening. The incident marred South Africa’s stunning 3-1 win over Great Britain.

After the first democratic elections in 1994, ‘Die Stem’ was merged with ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika’, official anthem of the African National Congress (ANC), for a hybrid version.

“We are extremely disappointed that an administrative blunder has been the source of much embarrassment for our team and all South Africans,” SA Hockey Association chief executive Marissa Langeni was quoted as saying by IOL here Wednesday.

“The anthem played caused our team much discomfort as they stood not knowing what to do with themselves. This incident has robbed our team of what should have been a moment of pride,” said Langeni.