The Anthemgate saga continued to escalate on Monday, with the Durban-born reggae singer blaming "sabotage" for his tuneless rendition of South Africa's national anthem before a clash with France in Toulouse last Friday.

Ras Dumisani's howling performance of the usually stately Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika (God bless Africa) before the Test, which France won 20-13, had some of the Springbok players battling to hold back laughter. Other glared at him angrily.

Radio phone-in programmes were swamped by callers accusing Durban-born Dumisani of "butchering" the anthem, which is based on a hymn that became a freedom song during the apartheid era.

Over 200 people had joined a page on social networking site Facebook called "Ban Ras Dumisani From Ever Singing Again" by Monday.

French-based Dumisani, who has several albums to his name and is popular in Europe but little-known at home, blamed his equipment.

"They [the match organizers] gave me an old microphone - a very old one," he told Johannesburg-based 702 radio station on Monday.

His monitor - a device that allows performers to hear how they sound - was also very old and discordant, he said.

The orchestra also played the dirge-like tune too fast, he said.

"I was not feeling good because I felt they wanted to sabotage my concert," Dumisani said.

"I want to apologize to all the people at home," he said, adding: "I find myself disgusted."

Dumisani's 'apology' did not find much favour with the rugby mad public in South Africa, with retired Bok flyhalf Naas Botha reacting in anger, calling the performance an "absolute disaster" and suggesting it had a hand in the World Cup title-holders' defeat.

"It was shocking and definitely didn't assist in creating a calm atmosphere for the team, as it should have," Botha was quoted by Business Day newspaper Monday as saying.

"Someone has to be taken to task for this disaster," he insisted.

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