Durban's literary voice Sihle Ntuli represents SA at Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival

Durban author and poet Sihle Ntuli will represent the city at a writers' residency in Dunedin, New Zealand. Both cities share the distinction of being Unesco Cities of Literature.

Ntuli will participate in the 2025 Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival as the only South African author.

He was chosen as the sole winner from 79 applicants from Unesco cities around the world. Ntuli is currently promoting his bilingual poetry collection, “Owele”, written in isiZulu and English.

He will read from the collection during the residency while in Dunedin as part of a book tour that has already visited Durban and Makhanda, with Johannesburg scheduled for September 25 and Cape Town for November 18.

From KwaMashu, Ntuli holds a Master of Arts (MA) in Classics from Rhodes University, Makhanda, and has lectured at the Universities of Johannesburg and the Free State.

He has also held fellowships at the Johannesburg Institute of Advanced Studies and the Centre for Stories in Western Australia. He is the winner of the 2024/2025 Diann Blakely Poetry Competition and a 2024 Best of the Net winner.

The 35-year-old said the news of his selection came as a shock.

“One of my most vivid memories was the 9pm call I received from Dunedin’s UNESCO City of Literature director, Nicky Page. I was informed that I had been chosen as the recipient of this residency."

"I received the news with shock but also extreme delight. It means a lot to represent the people of Durban in the context of much better-regarded literary and intellectual hubs like Cape Town and Johannesburg.”

On representing Durban internationally, he said, “To be an ‘unofficial’ ambassador means I can tell the truth, to talk about both the strengths and the shortcomings of Durban’s literary culture. I hope to show that the poets, writers and readers in this city are the backbone that ensures its vitality."

"The diverse and vibrant cultures of the Indian, coloured and the black African communities inform our literary sensibilities, and I hope to highlight that. Despite the city’s shortcomings, Durban’s literary community is just as valuable as anywhere else in the world.”

Ntuli said he is particularly looking forward to reading from “Owele” at the festival.

“It will be interesting to see how New Zealand audiences react to poems read in isiZulu. 2025 is also a year of celebration for me and my publisher, uHlanga, which is marking 10 years of publishing South African poetry."

"My new book marks my own milestone of 10 years as a published poet. My debut collection, “Stranger”, came out in September 2015. I intend to soak in the experience of Ōtepoti as a literary tourist, but also to look, learn, and see if there is anything we could take from Dunedin.”

On writing bilingually, Ntuli explained, “The isiZulu in ‘Owele’ ranges from short, sharp verse to compositions that focus on cadence, tone and rhythm. It acts as a foil to the more rigid English I use to create poetic resonance."

"Centring indigenous language is part of an ongoing national and international discussion, especially regarding translation. I hope audiences see that English’s days of being considered the ‘default’ are numbered and that it has never been the mother of all languages.”

Ntuli also reflected on the challenges of gaining recognition at home.

“For this residency, I had to ask a Durban literary organisation to write me a motivation. Despite reaching out to organisations I had worked with in the past, I received no response. There are some of us who care about Durban literature and contribute to its legacy."

"We deserve local institutions that are willing to build with us. Dunedin has made me feel seen, and it validates my work in the eyes of the world. But it would mean even more to be recognised at home.”