President Cyril Ramaphosa awards the Order of Ikhamanga to Dr Trevor Jones.
Image: GCIS/SUPPLIED
"I am quite overwhelmed and grateful."
That is what Dr Trevor Jones said after receiving SA’s highest national honour, the Order of Ikhamanga, on Tuesday.
The SA-born film composer was honoured at the National Orders ceremony at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said Jones was recognised for his contribution to musical arts and cinema through his composition of highly acclaimed scores for internationally successful films.
He was also recognised for opening his home in London as a place of refuge for many comrades of the liberation movement.
Born in Cape Town, Jones has built one of the most distinguished international careers of any SA composer.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and decorated music composer Dr Trevor Jones.
Image: GCIS/SUPPLED
After leaving during apartheid, he studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music and went on to score films including The Last of the Mohicans, In the Name of the Father, Notting Hill, Mississippi Burning, and Labyrinth.
Other recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga in 2026 included Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, musicians Jonathan Butler and Oskido, flautist Wouter Kellerman, and writers Dalene Matthee and Todd Matshikiza.
Honours were given in five categories, including the Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the Baobab, the Order of Luthuli, the Order of Mapungubwe, and the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo.
Speaking to IOL after the ceremony, Jones said: "I am quite overwhelmed by the award and I am grateful and so proud.
"I’m humbled to receive this honour from my country.
"Hopefully my story can inspire the next generation of creatives to fly the flag. As I always say to creatives: prepare, or prepare to fail."
Dr Trevor Jones has scored various award-winning flicks such as Notting Hill and In the Name of the Father.
Image: GCIS/SUPPLIED
Jones said it was his friend Martin Myers, famous publicist and music manager, who lobbied for him to receive the honour.
Myers told IOL: "It was quite a journey.
"I started working on that process in 2019, about six years after Dr Jones came back to SA.
"We have been close friends for a very long time and he is also very close to my wife Razia."
Myers said Jones is his mentor.
"I really wanted to get him honoured and awarded so that kids growing up can see if you put your head down you can achieve these things.
"He is one of the top five composers in the world and it's quite remarkable he received his flowers while still alive."
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