Hercules Smith, the singer who performed the South African national anthem at Saturday’s Springboks match against the Welsh Dragons, has defended his performance after facing criticism. The Pretoria entertainer was a hot topic on social media for his rendition of Nkosi Sikelel’s iAfrika. Smith was invited to perform in Twickenham for the national team’s first Test of 2024. The Boks beat Wales 41-13. On Saturday, 22 June, the Springboks squad, which included four players making their Test debuts, faced the Welsh Dragons in Twickenham.
Hercules Smith confidently sang the national anthem in England, but unfortunately, his performance received criticism from South Africans who accused him of “botching” the anthem. However, Smith took to his Instagram Stories to express gratitude to his supporters and respond to criticism.
“Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to show what I can really do! The track that was played on the day was much lower than the one I was rehearsing with”.
Smith refused to provide any additional comments when The South African approached him. Hercules Smith is not the first South African singer to have an unfortunate incident while singing the national anthem.
He won’t be the first, though.
In 2009, Dumisani faced heavy criticism from South Africans for his subpar rendition of the anthem before the Springboks vs France test match. Not only did he sing off-key, but he also forgot some of the lyrics. At the Springbok World Cup squad announcement in 2011, Just Jinger frontman Ard Matthews apologized for making a mistake while singing the national anthem at the Supersport studios in Randburg. In 2019, Afrikaans pop singer Kurt Darren was accused of mixing up the words to the national anthem at the FNB Varsity Cup final, causing embarrassment.
