The lyrics employ the five most populous 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).
Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw' uphondo Iwayo
Yizwa imithandazo yethu
Nkosi sikelela thina lusapho Iwayo
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho
O se boloke, o se boloke setjhaba sa heso
Setjhaba sa South Africa
South Africa...
Uit die blou van onse hemel
Uit die diepte van ons see
Oor ons ewige gebergtes
Waar die kranse antwoord gee
Sounds the call to come together
And united we shall stand
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land