About the Author:

Jabulane Johan Ncongwane   affectionately known as “JJ” was born on the 30th of September 1961. He is the fourth son of his late father Enoch Ngotjwa and Sarah Sonto Ncongwane. He grew up at KaMagwamazi farm in the district of Carolina in Mpumalanga province. He is married to Emma ‘Sibongile’ nee Zwane and they have four children. He is a born again Christian and a teacher by profession.

He started his primary education at Izithandani Bantu School in 1971 and his father used to motivate them by saying, “fundzani bafana nize nigcoke sigcoko semfundvo.” The books he read while he was a young kid had a great influence on his creative writing talent. He was inspired by the works of great writers like Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, CT Msimang, DBZ Ntuli, Maqhawe Mkhize and WP Steenkamp.

His creative writing talent was nurtured and blossomed at Mgwenya College of Education. While he was at College, he co-authored with the late ZD Mokoena and Ms Mbuyane an anthology of Siswati poetry book titled Emagalelo. He taught for seventeen years at Hlabangemehlo High School and three years at Chief Jerry Nkosi High School.
He worked at Silulu SeSiswati National Lexicography Unit at TUT campus in Nelspruit as an Editor-in-Chief for three years. Most unfortunately his contract of employment was prematurely terminated in May 2006 before the Siswati bilingual dictionary could be published. He then accepted an appointment as Language Practitioner in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa in May 2010, in Cape Town. He is a member of Siswati National Language Body and Umhlahlandlela Writer’s Guild.
His Literary Awards:

• He received a R10 which was his first literary prize for his short story Lunjalo-ke Lutsandvo in 1985. This story was included in the college magazine and it also appears in his volume of short stories titled Tikhatsi Letimatima.
• His novel Tikhatsi Tiyagucuka won him a first prize in Betrams VO Award for African Literature which was run by Skotaville publishers in 1990.
• In 1989 his drama book, Mncwi Ngitake Ngibone won him the first prize of Educum Drama Competition
• His collection of Siswati One-Act Plays titled Intsatsakusa won him a second prize in African Heritage Awards in 1993 which was organized by Maskew Miller Longman.
• In 2000, his novel Loyishayile Sewuyosile scooped the first prize in M-Net Book Prize in Nguni Languages category
• In 2010, he was selected to receive the Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award (for writing in African Languages in the RSA) 2009 for his volume of short stories book titled Tikhatsi Letimatima.

JJ Ncongwane is a seasoned and a prolific Siswati writer who has written a number of books.He dreams of writing a Siswati TV drama series before his inspiration to write comes to an end.

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