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Mbali Mbatha
Born in Herschel in the Eastern Cape, acclaimed author Zakes Mda’s participation in the National Arts Festival’s LitFest has been hailed as a strategic partnership with a national treasure.
Sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC Sibulele Ngongo praised Mda’s continued commitment to the Eastern Cape, noting that as a returning LitFest contributor he continued to give back to the province by reviewing manuscripts from emerging writers.
Having won a high-profile copyright infringement case against AI company Anthropic in October 2025 alongside other authors whose works were used without their consent or knowledge, Mda is well poised to lead day one of the LitFest.
His session is titled “The Politics of Translation: Who Gets to Read, Belong and Be Heard”, and will be facilitated by Prof Pamela Maseko, with Dr Athambile Masola carrying the conversation alongside Mda.
Masola recently co-edited the isiXhosa translation of the late Steve Biko’s I Write What I Like.
The authors delve into how local realities travel the world and unpack the preservation of language and expansion of access — critically important conversations in the digital era.
Earlier in 2026, Wits University hosted an event to address the misrepresentation and exclusion of African languages in the AI space.
“We are working with Nelson Mandela University as an academic institution because they have systems in place that are able to detect AI records.
“This partnership will also enable us to really work with our authors to ensure we document the correctness of our languages,” Ngongo said.
The financial literacy workshop on day three of the LitFest examines how artists, whose earnings are mostly irregular, can improve their relationship with money.
Authors will become acquainted with the entire value chain, from writing to marketing and selling their books.
However, Ngongo said the workshops would address financial literacy across various spheres of creativity instead of solely focusing on writers.
“We need to equip our artists holistically so that they understand the business of the industry.
“If artists focus only on being creative and don’t have the necessary business skills, it makes them more vulnerable to exploitation.”
Another segment on day three will look at how authors can ensure their books are available in libraries and major bookstores — a session the MEC said would prioritise self-published authors who faced a different set of challenges from those who took the traditional publishing route.
Sue Nyathi’s novel, The Polygamist, has viewers across the world glued to their small screens after being adapted into a 22-episode Netflix series.
Nyathi’s novel puts these challenges into perspective, as the author has revealed in various media interviews that it was first rejected by countless publishers, which subsequently propelled her into self-publishing.
This segment of the LitFest also seeks to elevate Eastern Cape authors who write in indigenous languages, in line with the department’s quest to stimulate demand.
Ngongo hopes to achieve this through a recently selected panel of partners for the department whose members have a solid network in bookstores.
The LitFest caters for various age groups, with Gcina Mhlophe and Nal’ibali leading the children’s corner.
The young adult market will be serviced by author, podcaster and HIV activist Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba, who received the Special MEC accolade at the Heritage Excellence Awards in February.
Faith, cultural identities and the challenges faced by the LGBTQI+ community will be dissected by Phemelo Motene on day two of the LitFest, and After the Fires author Nozipho Tshabalala will examine how to pick yourself up and try again when things fall apart.
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The Herald