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UFS honours Prof Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, co-composer of South Africa’s revised national anthem

21 August 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Stephen Collett

The Odeion School of Music at the University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus recently hosted a tribute concert in honour of one of South Africa’s most celebrated composers, Prof Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, one of the key figures in composing and arranging South Africa’s revised national anthem between 1995 and 1997.

The event, held on 20 August 2025, combined celebration and preservation as Prof Zaidel-Rudolph’s complete archive of over 80 compositions across various genres was officially handed over to the school.

Recognised as a pioneer in the country’s musical and academic life, she holds the distinction of being the first woman in South Africa to obtain a doctorate in music composition, awarded in 1979 by the University of Pretoria. Her studies later took her to the Royal College of Music in London and to Hamburg, Germany, where she worked under the legendary György Ligeti, whose influence continues to resonate in her music. With more than 80 compositions across diverse genres, Prof Zaidel-Rudolph’s career reflects a rare balance of daring creativity, refined craft, and deep cultural rootedness.

Her legacy reaches even further into the worlds of music and history – she was one of the key composers of the revised South African National Anthem between 1995 and 1997, at the request of President Nelson Mandela, and she received the Order of Ikhamanga (Bronze) from President Thabo Mbeki in 2004 for her contribution to the arts. The tribute at the UFS therefore recognised both a towering figure in music and a custodian of South Africa’s cultural memory.

“Today we gather here to recognise a living legend, and to honour a life steeped in music, in meaning, and in mentorship,” said Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation at the UFS, who officially welcomed guests and received the collection on behalf of the university. “Her compositions have shaped our national identity – from the concert stage to the anthem we sing. We celebrate a woman of many facets – a composer, educator, pioneer, and a friend of the UFS.”

A legacy entrusted to the future

Prof Alexander Johnson, Director of the UFS International Institute of the Arts and an accomplished composer of international repute, helped secure this priceless collection for the UFS. It includes manuscripts, personal correspondence, rare handbooks, journals, and artefacts that will now be digitised and catalogued for future generations of scholars and performers.

“This is nothing less than a national treasure,” said Dr Jan Beukes, Head of the Odeion School of Music. He described the handover as a moment of profound significance, not only for the university but also for South Africa’s cultural landscape. “To be entrusted with such a legacy is an immense privilege. As custodians, we will safeguard it and ensure that students at undergraduate and postgraduate level have access to an extraordinary field of research possibilities.”

Prof Reddy added: “Prof Zaidel-Rudolph’s archive is not just a donation – it is a legacy of knowledge, creativity, and cultural memory. Your voice as composer will remain bold, intricate, and unmistakably your own as we treasure your gifts. It will serve as a living resource for students, scholars and performers. Your archive will fuel research, ignite performance and stimulate the imagination for generations to come.”

For the university, the archive represents more than shelves of manuscripts. It offers young musicians and researchers direct access to the creative process of one of the country’s foremost composers, while preserving a cultural inheritance that belongs to the nation as a whole.

“Your archive will provide new impetus to the UFS aspiration as we create responsible societal futures,” Prof Reddy said. “Without the arts and music, such aspirations will be poorer. We accept with huge gratitude your bequest, as it will also help us collectively to shape a more humane, creative, and inclusive future.”

Prof Zaidel-Rudolph said the occasion carried deep personal meaning. “I could not think of a more fitting repository for my music material than the University of the Free State,” she said, adding that it warmed her heart to know her work would be carefully respected and presented. She emphasised her hope that the archive would inspire students, researchers, and music-lovers for years to come. The UFS’s Archive for Contemporary Affairs will have oversight of the collection.

Her gratitude was underscored by a broader reflection: “It fills me with a sense of incredible gratitude that there is an institute that is sufficiently committed to look after the music of a South African composer, to curate it, look after it, promote it, and let it be there for others.”

The tribute concert also featured the world première of her newest composition, ‘Unications for String Quartet’. Prof Zaidel-Rudolph explained that the work was inspired by a yearning for harmony in an often-divided world. “At my age and stage, having lived a long life so far, thank God, my sense is that people need to be more loving and unified, the sisterhood and brotherhood of nations. I hoped this work would give a sense of unity among performers and convey that unity to audiences.”

The première was equally special for the musicians. Violinist Samantha Durrant of the Odeion String Quartet said the ensemble felt privileged to work closely with the composer. “We were extraordinarily lucky to really get into this work and understand her music as best as possible,” she said. “Prof Rudolph gave us her time, her enthusiasm, her precision, and that guidance was invaluable.”

Performing her music also carried personal resonance. “It brings us so much joy to play music written by a woman, for women,” Durrant said. “We love Mozart, Beethoven, all the greats, but it is wonderful to reflect on the fact that we have extraordinary composers in this country, writing music of equal brilliance.”

The programme included performances by Odeion lecturers Nicolene Gibbons and Nina Phillips, who presented a selection of Prof Zaidel-Rudolph’s piano works. Together with the quartet’s première, the concert not only celebrated the composer’s past achievements but also affirmed her continuing influence.

“Prof Zaidel-Rudolph’s music, her legacy, and her generosity will forever be part of the UFS story in the years to come,” Prof Reddy concluded.

By entrusting her archive to the UFS, Prof Zaidel-Rudolph has ensured that her life’s work will live on in both performance and scholarship.

News Archive

Bloemfontein's quality of tap water compares very favourably with bottled water

2009-08-04

The quality of the drinking water of five suburbs in Bloemfontein is at least as good as or better than bottled water. This is the result of a standard and chemical bacterial analysis done by the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Centre for Environmental Management in collaboration with the Institute for Groundwater Studies (IGS).

Five samples were taken from tap water sources in the suburbs of Universitas, Brandwag, Bain’s Vlei, Langenhoven Park and Bayswater and 15 samples were taken of different brands of still and unflavoured bottled water. The samples were analysed at the laboratory of the IGS, while the interpretation of the analysis was done by the Centre for Environmental Management.

“We wanted to evaluate the difference in quality for human consumption between tap water and that of the different brands of bottled water,” said Prof. Maitland Seaman, Head of the Centre for Environmental Management.

“With the exception of two samples produced by multinational companies at their plants in South Africa, the different brands of bottled water used for the study were produced by South African companies, including a local small-scale Bloemfontein producer,” said Prof. Seaman.

According to the labels, the sources of the water vary from pure spring water, to partial reverse osmosis (as an aid to standardise salt, i.e. mineral, content), to only reverse osmosis (to remove salts). (Reverse osmosis is a process in which water is forced under pressure through a pipe with minute pores through which water passes but no – or very low concentrations of – salts pass.)

According to Prof. Seaman, the analysis revealed some interesting findings, such as:

• It is generally accepted that drinking water should have an acceptable level of salt content, as the body needs salts. Most mineral contents were relatively higher in the tap water samples than the bottled water samples and were very much within the acceptable range of drinkable water quality. One of the bottled samples, however, had a very low mineral content, as the water was produced by reverse osmosis, as stated on the bottle. While reverse osmosis is used by various producers, most producers use it as an aid, not as a single method to remove nearly all the salts. Drinking only such water over a prolonged period may probably have a negative effect on the human physiology.

• The pH values of the tap water samples (8,12–8,40) were found to be slightly higher (slightly alkaline), like in all south-eastern Free State rivers (from where the water is sourced) than the pH of most of the bottled water samples, most of which are sourced and/or treated in other areas. Two brands of bottled water were found to have relatively low pH levels (both 4,5, i.e. acidic) as indicated on their bottles and as confirmed by the IGS analysis. The health implication of this range of pH is not significant.

• The analysis showed differences in the mineral content given on the labels of most of the water bottles compared to that found by IGS analysis. The possibility of seasonal fluctuation in content, depending on various factors, is expected and most of the bottling companies also indicate this on their labels. What was a rather interesting finding was that two pairs of bottled water brands claimed exactly the same mineral content but appeared under different brand names and were also priced differently. In each case, one of the pair was a well-known house brand, and the other obviously the original producer. In one of these paired cases, the house brand stated that the water was spring water, while the other (identical) “original” brand stated that it was spring water treated by reverse osmosis and oxygen-enriched.

• Nitrate (NO3) levels were uniformly low except in one bottled sample, suggesting a low (non-threatening) level of organic pollution in the source water. Otherwise, none of the water showed any sign of pollution.

• The bacterial analysis confirmed the absence of any traces of coliforms or E.coli in any of the samples, as was also indicated by the bottling companies. This is very reassuring. What is not known is how all these waters were sterilised, which could be anything from irradiation to chlorine or ozone treatment.

• The price of the different brands of bottled water, each containing 500 ml of still water, ranged between R3,99 and R8,99, with R5,03 being the average price. A comparison between the least expensive and the most expensive bottles of water indicated no significant difference in quality. In fact, discrepancies were observed in the most expensive bottle in that the amount of Calcium (Ca) claimed to be present in it was found to be significantly different from what the analysis indicated (29,6 mg/l versus 0,92 mg/l). The alkalinity (CaCO3 mg/l) indicated on the bottle was also found to differ considerably (83 mg/l versus 9,4 mg/l). The concentration of Total Dissolved Salts (TDS) was not given on the product.

“The preference for bottled water as compared to Bloemfontein’s tap water from a qualitative perspective as well as the price discrepancy is unjustifiable. The environmental footprint of bottled water is also large. Sourcing, treating, bottling, packaging and transporting, to mention but a few of the steps involved in the processing of bottled water, entail a huge carbon footprint, as well as a large water footprint, because it also requires water for treating and rinsing to process bottled water,” said Prof. Seaman.

Media Release
Lacea Loader
Deputy Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
3 August 2009

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