Top Ten Announced
The jury members for the inaugural DALRO Can Themba Merit Award for Short Story Writing have been unanimous in their selection of the Top Ten finalists for the prestigious competition.
The project initiated by DALRO in partnership with Wits University Press and the Market Theatre and presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is committed to inspire and support new voices in South African literature.
More than 250 aspiring South African writers submitted their original manuscripts for adjudication for the inaugural Can Themba Merit Award that was launched by DALRO and the Centre for Creative Arts at the 28th edition of the Time of the Writer festival in March.
A panel of seven jury members reviewed every single manuscript to arrive at the Top Ten finalists. The Top Ten finalists in alphabetical order by last name are:
Kahna Aires
Megan Choritz
Dyonzo Kwinika
Sibatso Madibu
Lerato Mahlangu
Kamva Mayo
Lethukukhanya Mzulwini
Princess Rabada
Rosieda Shabodien
Dashalia Singaram
The Top Ten finalists were selected by a jury moderated by
the Centre for Creative Arts director, Ismail Mahomed, and comprised authors
Shafinaaz Hassim, Niq Mhlongo and Lynn Joffe, festival producer and book
reviewer Lorraine Sithole, playwright and academic Tiisetso Mashifane, Market
Theatre artistic director Greg Homann and playwright Neil Coppen.
The ten finalists will receive a series of online mentorship workshops in the coming weeks by specialists from the writing and publishing fraternity. The Top Ten will also receive one-on-one coaching sessions with award winning playwright Neil Coppen on how to refine their manuscripts which will be published by Wits University Press in an anthology to be launched on September 8, 2025, to commemorate with the 58th anniversary of Can Themba’s passing. Coppen has been selected as the anthology’s volume editor.
DALRO will host all ten writers for the anthology launch. DALRO and the Centre for Creative Arts will also host the ten writers at the 29th edition of the Time of the Writer festival in 2026. The winning author and runner up will be announced at the book launch.
The winner and runner-up will attend a festival equivalent to the Time of the Writer Festival in Cape Town in 2026. The winning author will receive dramaturgical support to adapt their short story into a playscript that will be presented at the Market Theatre in 2026. The winning author will also represent the Time of the Writer festival at the Bergen International Literature Festival in 2 Norway during 2026. Lastly, the winning author will be awarded a R10,000 Cash Prize from the Time of the Writer Festival.
The stakes are still very high for the Top Ten. Celebrating new voices in African literature, the DALRO Can Themba Merit Award not only honours Can Themba’s legacy but also provides a dynamic platform for emerging voices in South African literature.
Ismail Mahomed says: “There is absolutely no doubt that South Africa is a land full of imaginative storytelling. We have no shortage of wordsmiths who are able to reflect on our nation and to tease our beautiful stories that offer entertainment, inspiring reading, critical engagement but mostly hope”.
DALRO is a pioneering Collective Management Organisation (CMO), established in 1967 dedicated to safeguarding intellectual property. It focuses on three areas of copyright: literary works, artistic works and published editions:
- Literary works refers to virtually every form of writing,
in whatever mode or form expressed and includes dramatic works
- Artistic works include all paintings, sculptures,
drawings, engravings and photographs
- Published editions refer to the typographical arrangement
of a literary work or artistic work.
Books, generally, contain two forms of copyright. One is the
copyright in the expression of ideas which usually belongs to the creator of
the literary work and the other is the copyright in the typographical
arrangement, which usually belongs to the publisher.
DALRO licenses literary works, artistic works and published editions, facilitates and grants permission for copyright users to reproduce works, collects fees and remunerates copyright holders. As a leading authority in managing and licensing works, DALRO continues to champion creators' rights while nurturing a thriving creative economy in South Africa.
The Centre for Creative Arts is a vibrant hub within the School of Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, renowned for its commitment to promoting cultural diversity and artistic excellence. The Centre is the producer of some of South Africa’s leading arts festivals, including Time of the Writer (28 years), Poetry Africa (29 years), JOMBA! Contemporary Dance (27 years), Artfluence (5 years), and the Durban International Film Festival (46 years). In 2026, the Centre will host the 5th annual World Slam Poetry Competition, bringing together slam poets from over 40 nations. The Centre for Creative Arts is the implementing partner for this exciting DALRO initiative, bringing its extensive experience and passion for promoting literary excellence to the forefront.
The Time of the Writer festival, presented by the Centre for
Creative Arts, is one of South Africa’s premier literary festivals. Featuring
80 to 100 authors each year, it serves as a dynamic platform for writers,
publishers, and readers to engage with diverse themes across fiction,
non-fiction, poetry and other creative writing forms.
For more information and a link to the Centre for Creative Arts website, click on the advert to the right of this article.