Jabulane Johan Ncongwane, better known by his pen name J.J. Ncongwane (born 30 September 1961), is a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n novelist, short-story author, poet and educator who writes in

Siswati Swazi or siSwati is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and South Africa by the Swati people. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 4.7 million including first and second langua ...

. He was born at KaMagwamazi farm in Chief Albert Luthuli's Carolina area. Ncongwane is regarded as one of the central figures in South Africa's Siswati literature. He is currently employed in the

Parliament of South Africa The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature. It is located in Cape Town; the country's legislative capital city, capital. Under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameralism, bicameral Parliamen ...

as a Language Practitioner. He has written many Siswati books, including educational manuals, novels, short-stories, poems, and drama-plays and has co-authored several others since 1985. His work is taught at South Africa's high and tertiary schools.

Early life

Jabulane Johan Ncongwane was raised at KaMagwamazi farm in Eastern

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

province (now

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

) in what was then Carolina District (now called Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality). His father, Enoch Ncongwane, was a bus-driver, and his mother, Sarah Zwane, worked as a domestic worker for the owner of the farm where they stayed. Enoch couldn't read and write but encouraged his children to read and brought home

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

, English, and Zulu storybooks for them. JJ Ncongwane loved

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, CT Msimang, DBZ Ntuli, Maqhawe Mkhize, JJ Gwayi, and WP Steenkamp.

Education and career

Ncongwane received a Teacher's Diploma from Mgwenya College and taught

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

, and

General Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

at Nhlazatshe's Hlabangamehlo High School and Chief Jerry Nkosi High School between 1986 and 2007. He holds a Secondary Teacher's Diploma from Mgwenya College of Education (1985), a Degree in Arts from the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

(1996), and a Honours Degree in Arts from the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...

(1997). He also worked at the

Tshwane University of Technology Tshwane University of Technology (TUT; ) is a higher education institution in South Africa that came into being through a merger of three technikons — Technikon Northern Gauteng, Technikon North-West and Technikon Pretoria. As the number of ...

as the first Editor-in-Chief for the university's Siswati Lexicography Unit that compiles Siswati dictionaries. He has worked as a

translator in South Africa's Parliament since May 2010. His first published work was a collection of Siswati poems he co-wrote with his younger brother S.J. Ncongwane, titled ''Kuyophela Situnge'' (Beyond Boredom) in 1986. He has translated many books into

, including Lebogang Masango's children's books ''What Does Mpumi Eat?'' to ''Udlani Mpumi'', ''What Does Mpumi Wear?'' to ''Ugcokeni Mpumi,'' and

Gcina Mhlophe Mhlophe (born 24 October 1958), known as Gcina Mhlophe, is a South African storyteller, writer, playwright, and actress. In 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women. She tells her stories in four of South Africa's languages: English, Afr ...

's ''Nozincwadi – Mother of Books.''

Works

*Ncongwane, JJ; Ncongwane, SJ (1986)
''Kuyophela Situnge''
South Africa: Shuter & Shooter (Pty) Ltd. *Ncongwane, JJ; Sithebe, Z (1987)

South Africa: Shuter & Shooter (Pty) Ltd. *Ncongwane, JJ (1989)
Letimatima''
Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik. *Ncongwane, JJ (1990): ''Mncwi! Ngitake Ngibone''. South Africa: Educum Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ; Mokoena, ZD; Mbuyane, MS (1990): ''Emagalelo'' . South Africa: Shuter & Shooter (Pty) Ltd. *Ncongwane, JJ (1991): ''Emantjontjo''. South Africa: Reach Out Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ (1991): ''Imihlanga Yeluhlanga''. South Africa: Juta & Co. *Ncongwane, JJ; Ncongwane, MJ; Ncongwane, SJ (1991): ''Imphilo Yimfumbe'' . South Africa: Educum Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ (1992)
''Linyeva Ngelinyeva''
South Africa: BARD Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ (1992): ''Ematekelo Ayitolo''. South Africa. Shuter & Shooter Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ (1993): ''Lapha Nalapho''. South Africa: Palm Publishers. *Shongwe, JP et al (1996): ''Siswati Sasegcumeni 9''. *Shongwe, JP et al (1996): ''Siswati Sasegcumeni 10''. *Ncongwane, JJ. (1996): ''Tikhatsi Tiyagucuka''. Oxford. *Ncongwane, SJ (1996): ''Sigiya Ngenkondlo''. South Africa: Shuter & Shooter (Pty) Ltd. *Ncongwane, JJ; Ncongwane, SJ. ''Nyoni''. South Africa: Educum Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ (1999): ''Letingayubuna'' (2003). South Africa: Acacia Books in 2003 *Ncongwane, JJ (1999): ''Loyishayile Sewuyosile''. South Africa: Heinemann. *Ncongwane, SJ (2005): ''Umshiyangculu''. South Africa: Cambridge University Press. *Ncongwane, JJ (2006): ''Ematfunti Etikhatsi''. South Africa: Lutz Publishers. *Translated work, ''Tindzaba Letikhulumako'' (2007). . *Ncongwane, JJ (2010)
Tinyembeti Tendvodza
South Africa: New Voices Publishing. *Ncongwane, JJ
''Lily waseLilydale''
South Africa: Cambridge University Press. *Msibi, T; Magagula, HDT (2014
''Sabalala Misebe''
South Africa: Imisebe Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ (2020)
''Kuyawusala Tibongo''
South Africa: Blessed Seed Publishers (Pty) Ltd. *Ncongwane, J
''Telutsandvo Atipheli (School Edition)''
Shutter and Shooters Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ; (2017)
''Ngenca Yakho''
South Africa: Shutter and Shooter. *Dlamini, LZ; Msibi, T; Vilakati, NJ; (2016
Lwamanyovu: Naletinye TindzatjanaTeSiswati''
ESwatini: Macmillan Education. *Ncongwane, JJ (2019)
''Kutawusho Sikhatsi''
Elukwatini: Blessed Seed Publishers. *Translated work ''Mpumi Udlani'' (2022): South Africa: New Africa Books. *Translated work "Mpumi Ugcokani'' (2022): South Africa: New Africa Books. *Translated work ''Ngingumoya'' (2022): South Africa: New Africa Books. *Translated work ''Ngingumlilo'' (2022): South Africa: New Africa Books. *Translated work ''Nozincwadi'' (2022): South Africa: New Africa Books. *Ncongwane, JJ (2020
''Live Litawutsini 2nd edition''
Elukwatini: Blessed Seed Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ (2022)
''Kuyawush' Imifula''
Elukwatini: Blessed Seed Publishers. *Ncongwane, JJ; (2014): ''Ngingamane Ngicabuze Inja''. *JBC Luphoko, et al: ''Emanoni''. *Bhila, SS; Ngobe, AP (2022): ''Emakhono Elusha''. *Ncongwane, JJ (2023): ''Lifa Letilima''. Elukwatini: Blessed Seed Publishers. *Malangwane, BB; Ncongwane, JJ (2022): ''Letingeke Tiphuphe''. Elukwatini: Blessed Seed Publisher.

Awards

His first award was a R10 he received from Mgwenya College in 1985 for writing the short story ''Lunjalo-ke Lutsandvo'' (That is Love). This story appeared in the Mgwenya College magazine in that year and was then published in the collection of short stories called ''Tikhatsi Letimatima'' (Tough Times) in 1989. Other awards include: *Educum Drama Competition Award 1989 for the drama book ''Mncwi! Ngitake Ngibone'' (That Won't Happen!) *Skotaville Publishers Bertrams VO Award for African Literature in 1990 for the novel ''Tikhatsi Tiyagucuka'' (Times Change) * Maskew Miller Longman Literature Awards, Maskew Miller Longman African Heritage Awards in 1993 for his collection of Siswati One-Act plays titled ''Intsatsakusa'' (Wee Hours) * M-Net Book Prize in Nguni Languages in 2000 for his novel ''Loyishayile Sewuyosile'' (The One That Brings It Down Eats It) * Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award in African Languages (SA) in 2009 for his volume of short stories book called ''Tikhatsi Letimatima'' (Tough Times) * Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sports & Recreations in 2023 for the category Siswati literature development *The Book Behind Award (best novel) in 2023 for the work ''Live Litawutsini'' (What Will People Say) *PanSALB Multilingualism Award for Siswati Literature in 2024Pansalb announces multilingualism awards
Retrieved 2 March 2024 *Siswati Academic Book of the Year Award by Mbokodo Publishers for ''Ematekelo Ayitolo'' (Tales From Yesterday) in 2024 *Lifetime Achievement Award by Mbokodo Publishers in 2024 *Best Novel Award by the South African Literature Award for ''Lifa Letilima'' in 2024

References

External links

*Kusetjentiswa Kwesibekandzaba Etindzabeni Letimfishane ta JJ Ncongwane ''The Use of Settings in the Short Stories of JJ Ncongwane'', MA thesis
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