Motivering (på engelska):

The Swedish Jazz Federation has awarded the 2005 Honorary Prize for life-long contributions to Jazz Music to Johnny Mekoa.

Johnny Mekoa has proven to be an outstanding individual by combining a distinguished artistic vision with an unending passion to share his musical knowledge with the young generation of South Africans.

With exceptional entrepreneurship and imagination as well as an unyielding patience he has developed the Music Academy of Gauteng, which is breeding new generations of jazz musicians. Johnny Mekoa has shown that mountains can be moved.

Foto: City Press / Denzil Maregele