About the Power of Authors Symposium
ANFASA is hosting a one-day Virtual International Symposium on the Power of Authors on 25 March 2025 at 9:00. The symposium is aimed at re-evaluating the contributions made by authors through the ages and re-examining the meaning of authorship and how it can be given its due weight and recognition.
Throughout history the author has played the voice of opposition; a source of information, entertainment and wisdom; a record keeper for oral histories of various cultures and a creator of knowledge. Authors have been the bridge to society, and they have existed since ancient times. Authors have the power through their words to educate, heal and illuminate the mind.
The 4th Annual Power of Authors Symposium will look at – among other things - how writers, in the era of AI and given the current socio-economic including technological advances, re-invent and repackage themselves and their craft.
Each session is designed to explore the role of authors in society, their contributions, and how they can adapt to modern challenges while continuing to heal, transform, and inspire.
Programme Details
Tuesday, 25 May 2025 09:00-14:30
Opening of the conference and welcoming the attendees.
A brief introduction to the discussion among authors, about authors.
SPEAKER
Prof Sihawukele Ngubane
This programme is subject to change without prior notice.
Speakers
Lorraine Sithole
AUTHORSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Lorraine Sithole, a reading activist advocating for reading for lifelong enjoyment across all generations, was the Vice-Chairperson of the International Board on Books for Young People South Africa (2022-2024) and sits on the board of the African Book Trust responsible for the Johannesburg Literature District.
The founder of the 14-year-old BookWorms Book Club, a publisher, and writer, Lorraine was longlisted for the 2017 Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award and has contributed to these collections - Black Tax: Burden or Ubuntu edited by Niq Mhlongo, and When Secrets Become Stories edited by Sue Nyathi.
Lorraine was the programme manager for the South African Book Fair for three years, responsible for curating the literary programme and the Schools’ Programme. She is also the founder and festival director of the Gauteng International Book Festival. Lorraine curated the inaugural Johannesburg Festival for Women Writers which debuted in 2022. Lorraine is a notable facilitator of book-based conversations whose finger is always on the pulse of readers and authors.
Bafedile Bopape
Ms Bafedile Bopape – is an author and founder of Seshelekhomo Skills Consulting Enterprise Pty, (Ltd), which aims to provide skills training development in government, including many other sectors - And its subsidiary; “Let’s Rebuild Together Foundation” which promotes active citizenry amongst various civic bodies.
She is renowned for her many expertise as a moderator, a strategic planning specialist, policy development processes, operations and productivity management, training and facilitation, monitoring and evaluation, strategic management, corporate culture, governance and administration, coach/speaker and a non-executive board member amongst some of her accomplishments. She has a valuable track record on driving operational efficiencies.
For 15 years she served five different Director’s General as the head of office, in the national Department of Agriculture, including two years as a chief of staff for one Minister.
An honouree award holding author (2024), she is a former government executive with 28 years in government, and 8 years in the NGO sector. A librarian by profession, with an honour’s degree in Library and Information Science, she holds various management certificates with Unisa.
Prof Siphiwo Mahala
Siphiwo Mahala is a multi-award-winning author and academic. His research interests include Contemporary African Literature, Colonial and Post-Colonial Literature, Black Intellectual History, Short Story Writing and Creative Writing.
He is the author of the novel, When a Man Cries (2007), which he later translated into isiXhosa as Yakhal’ Indoda (2010). His short story collections include, African Delights (2011), Red Apple Dreams and Other Stories (2019), and The Missing Pages (2025). As a playwright, he wrote two critically acclaimed plays, The House of Truth (2016) and Bloke and His American Bantu (2021). His monograph Can Themba: The Making and Breaking of the Intellectual Tsotsi (2022), won the Creative Non-Fiction Award at the South African Literary Awards and the 2024 Book of the Year at the Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Awards. He is an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Johannesburg.
Griffin Shea
Griffin Shea owns Bridge Books, an independent bookstore in downtown Johannesburg that focuses on African literature. With its non-profit arm, the African Book Trust, Bridge Books is the lead partner in the Johannesburg Literary District project in the Joburg CBD.
The Literary District works to promote the neighbourhood by bringing together booksellers, the library and readers in the Joburg CBD. LitDistrict volunteers work on cleaning and greening projects, storytime sessions, and reviving classic South African books.
Before opening Bridge Books, Griffin worked as a journalist for 15 years, mostly with the international news agency AFP. He is the author of the young adult novel The Golden Rhino and the picture book, The First Story Ever Told. He is currently working on a PhD in Publishing Studies at Wits, and consulting on strategic communications for NGOs, universities and other organisations.
Prof Beth Le Roux
Professor Beth le Roux is an associate professor in Publishing Studies in the Department of Information Science at the University of Pretoria. Her research focuses on the history of books and publishing in South Africa and Africa more broadly. She is author of A Social History of the University Presses in Apartheid South Africa (Brill, 2016), A Survey of South African Crime Fiction (with Sam Naidu, UKZN Press, 2017), and Publishing Against Apartheid: A case study of Ravan Press (Cambridge University Press Elements, 2020). She is actively involved with publishing and author networks, and coordinates the annual book industry survey for the Publishers’ Association of South Africa. Before becoming a full-time academic, she worked in the scholarly publishing industry in South Africa
Kevin Fitzgerald
Kevin Fitzgerald is Secretary General of the International Authors Forum. He previously held senior positions at the United Nations specialized agency, the World Intellectual Property Organization, in Geneva, in collective management and in various publishing houses. He has also been an author and journalist.
Monde Mngoma
Monde Mngoma holds a B.Com degree in Marketing & Supply Chain Management from UKZN. With over a decade of experience in the licensing sector, he is a team leader at DALRO, the leading licensing agency in South Africa for dramatic, artistic, and literary rights.
Dr Shahieda Jansen
Shahieda Jansen, a clinical psychologist, has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Clinical Psychology. She works as the Deputy Director: Academic & Technology Support at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in the Western Cape region, with oversight of more than 20,000 students.
Her book, Masculinity Meets Humanity: An Adapted Model of Masculinised Psychotherapy was released by UNISA Press at the end of 2022. Shahieda’ s long-standing commitment to prioritising humanity over gender is a perspective that has shaped her facilitation of men’s groups, father–son interventions, and male-focused personal development for more than 16 years.
Her involvement in UNISA’s School Belonging Project adds another critical layer of research by highlighting the systemic influences on the academic performance of boys.
Sewela Langeni
THE BUSINESS OF AUTHORSHIP
Sewela Langeni is an author and the owner of Book Circle Capital (BCC), an independent bookshop focusing on African Literature in Johannesburg. She is a Marketing Manager and her academic background spans from Journalism, Communication Sciences and Marketing. She holds a Master's degree in Strategic Marketing and Consulting (Cum Laude) from the University of Birmingham, UK. Sewela is an avid reader and reviewer of local books for adults and kids. She facilitates book conversations with authors at BCC, book fairs and on ETV's Morning Show SA.
Dr Sydney Fetsie Maluleke
Dr Sydney Fetsie Maluleke is a seasoned author, editor, researcher, historian and founder of a publishing company Maluks Books. Since 2015, his interest in the preservation of South African music history has inspired him to embark on intensive research and published three biographies entitled: The Life and Times of Soul Brothers (2017), Steve Kekana – The I in Me (2019) and Dr Thomas Chauke – Everything is Ximatsatsa (2022). Through these biographies, Dr Maluleke immortalized these legendary musicians and provided a broader perspective of how they used their music to contribute to the development of indigenous South African music, languages and culture and foster social cohesion and peace. The books have been celebrated nationwide and abroad. In addition, his work has also been recognized by the Department of Sport Arts and Culture and the Department of Basic Education who have also distributed them in all school libraries across the province of Gauteng. Between 2023 and 2024, through his publishing company, Maluks Books, Dr Maluleke participated in the DSAC/ANFAS Publishing Hub where he was entrusted with the publication of seven books in five different languages: Xitsonga, IsiNdebele, Siswati, Sesotho, and IsiZulu.
Other than being an author and publisher, Dr Maluleke is an academic. He is an English lecturer at the University of South Africa. A former educator, Dr Maluleke taught English at various secondary schools around Gauteng. He obtained his junior degree, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Witwatersrand in 2011. He further obtained two more degrees from the same university namely, Bachelor of Education with Honours (2012) and Master of Arts (2015). In 2024 he completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree specialising in Languages, Linguistics and Literature at the University of South Africa. His doctoral thesis explores how life writing such as memoirs and biographies can be used as a tool to create space(s) for the development of voice in first-year students’ academic writing.
Prof Sihawukele Ngubane
Prof Sihawukele Ngubane is an academic and astute professional, educator, researcher, communicator, Author and Editor of published books and a protocol in isiZulu Royalty customs and traditions and a Professor of isiZulu Language, Literature and Culture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and one of the most senior and accomplished isiZulu Linguist in the country. His visionary perspective has earned him opportunities to work on local and national strategic positions and as a Leader of the African Renaissance Movement in KwaZulu-Natal since 2002 to date; Zulu Royal Household Trust; DALRO; USiba Writers Association; and also chairs Pan African Writers Society (PAWS).
Sihle Khumalo
Sihle Khumalo is South Africa's award winning and bestselling author. He has written five books and contributed to two. His books - Almost Sleeping My Way to Timbuktu, and Milk the beloved country - won the 2014 and 2024 South African Literary Award (creative non-fiction category) respectively. He was educated at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) as well as Wits and Stellenbosch Business Schools
Nthabiseng JahRose Jafta
Nthabiseng JahRose Jafta is a prominent South African writer, poet, and cultural figure with two decades of contributions to the literary and arts scene. A Master of Creative Writing graduate from Rhodes University.
Jafta has been honoured with the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) Multilingual Award for her outstanding work in promoting multilingualism and cultural diversity. She is an artpreneur, creative strategist, and publisher, with a career that spans across authorship, poetry, and producing. Jafta’s international collaborations also led to her recent book Alora, a product of her work with other authors and translators. As a board member of the World Organisation of Writers (WOW) based in Russia, she continues to influence the global literary landscape. Her exceptional poetic performances have earned rave reviews for their musicality, relatability, and political depth. Additionally, as publisher at the University of the Free State African Languages Press, Jafta plays a key role in nurturing African literature and creating platforms for emerging writers.
Winston Mohapi
Mr Winston Mohapi is a retired Public Service official and former Head: African languages: Translation and Editing at the former Department of Arts and Culture. He is a Sesotho prolific writer with two awards: M-Net Book Prize and Thomas Mofolo Award in novel and historical drama. He is South African Literary Awards Advisory Board member (SALA) and Puku Publishers book assessor. He is team-member of the South African Centre for Digital Language (SaDiLaR). A former National Arts Council Advisory Panel Member. He is one of the long serving ANFASA Board member.
Nozizwe Cynthia Jele
Nozizwe is a South African writer. Her debut novel, Happiness is a Four-Letter Word (2010), won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Africa, Best First Book) and the M-Net Literary Award (Film Category) in 2011. She co-wrote the film adaptation, released in 2016. Her second novel, The Ones with Purpose (2018), was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Barry Ronge Fiction Prize (2019) and longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Prize (2020).
She writes short stories and contributes to publications like Stranger’s Guide, Imbiza Journal, Mail & Guardian, Cosmopolitan, and Woolworths Taste. She serves on the Johannesburg Review of Books Editorial Advisory Panel and is a member of PEN South Africa and the Writers Guild of South Africa.
Nozizwe founded Happiness Books and Productions, a publishing and media company that has translated two English novels into isiZulu: The Ones with Purpose by Nozizwe Cynthia Jele (Sesizophila Ngale Ndlela) and Blood, Blades and Bullets: Anatomy of a Glebelands Hitman by Nathi Oliphant (Izinkabi: Yasho Inganono, Laphala Igazi). She is also a director at the Happiness Literary Foundation, which supports local writers and literacy in underdeveloped communities. In 2024, the foundation launched the iLembe Book Festival.
She holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and is currently working on a new novel and adapting The Ones with Purpose into a limited TV series.
Lorato Trok
Lorato Trok is an early literacy expert and has 20 years’ experience in publishing, writing, translation, editing and story development in children’s literature. In May 2024, she was appointed Director of the Nal’ibali Trust, South Africa’s biggest literacy promotion organisation.
Lorato’s work in promoting African languages and early literacy spans all nine South African provinces. She has also presented papers and facilitated creative writing, translation, and children’s book review workshops in Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Kenya and the United States, serving mainly teachers, learners/students, writers, librarians, literacy activists and government officials.
Lorato’s career highlights include being Project Coordinator for the First Words in Print Project, a special project of the National Library of South Africa. She was also a Publishing Programme Manager at Room to Read South Africa, South Africa Country Coordinator for the African Storybook Initiative, and a volunteer Managing Editor at Puku Children’s Literature Foundation. She was invited to help launch the “Reading Africa'' programme at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C.
Lorato is a published author of more than 20 children’s picture book in Setswana and English, including radio stories for children. She is also a biographer of young adult non-fiction biographies.
Lorato’s work in early literacy has been acknowledged through awards she has received throughout her career. She is the 2019/2020 IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Best Translation in Setswana recipient. In 2017/2020 and 2021, she was awarded the Association of Non-Fiction and Academic Authors of South Africa’s (ANFASA) writing grant, which is supported by the Norwegian Embassy, to write a biography of Rosina Sedibane Modiba, South Africa’s first Black female athlete to compete against white athletes during the apartheid years, during which time she set multiple records. The United Nations Africa Book Club Chapter selected this book for SDG 5 (Women and Girls Empowerment) as one of the best books for children aged 6 to 12 in Africa in English. The second book in this series of unsung heroes is The Forgotten Scientist: The Story of Scientist Saul Sithole (Jacana Media, 2020), about a pioneering Black scientist who made great contributions to the fields of anthropology and ornithology. She has since written two more biographies, the recent one being Golden Girl, the story of Ouma Katrina, published in August 2024 by Jacana.
In May 2022, renowned publisher, Hans M Zell through Academia.edu, an independent academic digital publisher and research platform named and profiled me as one of the leading 28 Women in African Publishing & the Book Trade in the journal of The African Book Publishing Record Volume 48, Issue 2.
In December 2024, I received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Eduvos Durban International Book Fair in the promotion of African languages and my expertise in early literacy
Ashraf Patel
Ashraf Patel is a graduate on the Masters in Management (MM) Public Policy Development and Regulation Management (ICT PRM) from the Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM), University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, where he lectured for many years. On ICT , Media and Public policy and advocacy campaigns and impacts.
As Senior research associate at the Institute for Global Dialogue( www.igd.org.za ) is an independent foreign policy think tank based in Tshwane (Pretoria), UNISA, South Africa. It advances a balanced, relevant and policy-oriented analysis, debate and documentation of South Africa and Africa’s global politics and diplomacy. It strives to promote a broader understanding of the role of foreign policy and diplomacy in the pursuit of national and international development, human rights and gender equity for Africa and the developing South.
Ashraf leads the Digital Society, Trade 4 Development program is a new and vibrant program that conducts research and advocay in the field of ICT and emering 4th Industrial Revolution for Development (4IR) and trade equity an IPR and Copyright in Digital Age. Our perspetive is to broaden public , community, labour, gender and youth perspective and voices in this important debate that will impact on the industrial, economic political and social life of citizens in the decades ahead.
He has had extensive experience and working knowledge in southern Africa for over 18 years As a founder member of the Learning Information Network and Knowledge Centre (LINK) at Wits University, and program officer at a regional foundation, as well as consulting experience in ICT policy and innovation systems. He has worked extensively in the labour movement and developed the DITSELA labour institute course on Knowledge Economy, 4IR and Workplace, and is currently co editing the publication – 4IR and the Future of Work in South Africa (forthcoming UNISA Press, 2023).
Prof Mary Lange
Mary E Lange is an independent arts, culture, and heritage practitioner, researcher, and author who practices as MeL (Mentor, educate, Learn). She is a research affiliate at the Centre for Communication, Media and Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her applied heritage and arts focus is reflected in her books, mostly in collaboration with several authors who reflect the diversity of South Africa’s language, culture, and geographical landscape. This is towards fostering intercultural knowledge and understanding in process and product.
Hetta Pieterse
Hetta is a Commissioning Editor and Manager (Unisa Press) and has completed an MA in Information Science (UNISA). She is an Editorial Board Member of ANFASA (Non-fiction Authors Association of South Africa). She holds an Honours Degree in English, a Teaching degree (UP), Fine Arts Diploma (UJ) and two Marketing Diplomas (Unisa: International Marketing & The Basics of Business). She has delivered and published conference papers, have co-authored and authored articles and book chapters. She practices fine arts as a printmaker, of monographs and artists' books. She is involved in the Moot Community clean-up project series, where she regularly helps to design and paint large murals on bridges and walls in the Pretoria Moot region – apart from assisting with general cleaning up actions.
This programme is subject to change without prior notice.
The symposium is presented by the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors’ Association of South Africa (ANFASA), in proud association with International Authors Forum (IAF) and the Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association (NFFO)
