Lauren Beukes
Lauren Beukes is an award-winning writer with internationally recognised novels translated into 26 languages. Known for her novels such as
The Shining Girls, Zoo City, Broken Monsters, among many others; she's definitely one of South Africa's highly acclaimed writers you ought to know!
Kagiso Msimango
Kagiso Msimango is an author best known for her book
The Goddess Mojo Bootcamp. She is passionate about women's personal development and has taken a keen interest in inspiring, liberating, supporting and cheer-leading other women in pursuing their truest passions and desires.
Panashe Chigumadzi
Panashe Chigumadzi is best known for her debut novel titled
Sweet Medicine. The book tackles various issues ranging from tradition versus modernity, patriarchy versus feminism, poverty and desperation versus wealth and abundance, among other themes. Shewas also the founder of
Vanguard Magazine and a founding member of
The Feminist Stokvel – so many reasons to get to know her.
Lebogang Mashile
Best known for being a performance poet, writer and actor,
Lebogang Mashile has released two poetry books,
Flying Above The Sky and
In a Ribbon of Rhythm, which she won the Noma Award for in 2006.
She was also part of the
Hotel Rwanda cast and has made waves in the media industry.
Gcina Mhlope
Gcina Mhlope has written many children's books as well as adult audience poetry, short stories and plays. Best known for being a writer and stage performer, she has written songs for the SABC and performed her own stories for a television audience. She is also a motivational speaker, MC and keynote speaker.
Miriam Tlali
Known for being the first author to write about Soweto and being the first black female writer to publish a novel,
Muriel at Metropolitan in 1979,
Miriam Tlali is definitely an acclaimed must-know South African author. She has written several novels since including
Between Two Worlds, Mihloti, Soweto Stories and more.
Sindiwe Magona
Sindiwe Magona is an author, teacher, translator and motivational speaker. She has written and published several books including
To My Children's Children, Forced to Grow, Beauty's Gift, The Woman on the Moon, among many others.
Please, Take Photographs was her first collection of poems published in 2009.
Ingrid de Kok
Ingrid de Kok born Ingrid Fiske, she is an author and poet best known for her books
Terrestrial things, Seasonal fires, Other Signs and
Familiar Ground. The writer also has a collection of poems published on her website that cover various genres and themes. Her books are available to order online, from local and international outlets.
Zoë Wicomb
Zoë Wicomb is a South African-Scottish author best known for her book
Playing in the Light, published in 2006. Other books she is known for include,
You Can't Get Lost In Cape Town, David's Story, Art Work, amongst many others. Her books cover a range of themes and genres relatable to the South African and general human context.
Beverly Naidoo
Although she's based in the UK,
Beverly Naidoo is a South African children's book author. Some of her books include
Journey to Joburg, No Turning Back, Web of Lies and more. She also writes short stories and often collaborates with her illustrators to write picture books or plays. Beverly has also won a few awards from her books, making her a yet another must-know SA female author.
By Cleopatra Shava
Know other SA female authors we should know not mentioned above? Let us know below.
