Langenhoven, Cornelis Jacob (1873-1932), was a South African lawyer, author, and poet. He is best remembered for his poem Die Stem van Suid Afrika (The Voice of South Africa), written in 1918. It was set to music by M. L. de Villiers in 1919 and was officially accepted as South Africa’s national anthem in 1957.
Langenhoven was born on Aug. 13, 1873, in Hoeko, near Ladismith, in what is now the province of Western Cape. He studied law at the Victoria College (now the University of Stellenbosch). In 1901, he qualified as a lawyer.
In 1912, Langenhoven became editor of the Het Zuid Westen (The South Western), and championed the cause of the Afrikaans language. In 1914, he helped establish Afrikaans instead of Dutch as the language of instruction in Cape schools. He died on July 15, 1932.
