Editor - Abednego Mandlenkosi Maphumulo

Abednego Mandlenkosi Maphumulo

isiZulu Editor

Abednego Mandlenkosi Maphumulo is an academic, poet and author. His poems are published in poetry anthologies such as Izinsungulo (1980); Iminduze (1986); Amaqoma (1992); Umlilo Namalangabi (1994), and Izimvemvane (2012). Mandlenkosi was editor for Imvubelo (1991), Izibonkolo (1992), Indwamba 3 (1996), Izigi Zembongi (2003), and Zidlana Imilala (2012) among others.

Mandlenkosi Maphumulo has published ten folklore books, twenty-one language series books, as well as a collection of essays, Ithungelwa Ebandla (1992), a collection of short stories, Siyokufa Sizilanda (1993), a collection of literary criticism, Masikhe Ngenkezo Umqulu 1 (1995), and two collections of one-act plays, Inselelo (1996), and Esithangamini Sezethameli (2001). In 2012 Mandlenkosi contributed an essay “Zulu Poetry” to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, and published a study entitled D.B.Z. Ntuli’s Radio Trilogy Izivumelwano. It comes as no surprise that he received the Kenneth Bhengu-Aktua Award for Prolific Writing in 1995.

Maphumulo is evaluator/reviewer of literary manuscripts for various publishers. He acted as judge for the JL van Schaik Metropolitan Literary Competition in 1993, and the Nguni Language category for the M-Net Book Prize 1997/1998. He was editor for the UKZN/UPDO short story anthology in 2016, as well as evaluator/reviewer for the KZN/DAC Novel Competition, and the KZN/DAC Short Story Competition in 2017.

Mandlenkosi Maphumulo has received several awards, amongst others the Magolwana Jiyane-J.L. van Schaik Award for his poetry collection, Izibonkolo (1993), the Magema Fuze-Lectio Award for his book on folklore, Udondolo (1995), and a Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) prize for his short story collection Inhlamvu Yelanga (2016). He was also awarded a Certificate in recognition of his extensive contribution to the development of isiZulu Literature, 1994-2004, by the former Minister, Honourable Narend Singh of Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism (KZN).