Category: Chairperson’s Award
Author : Prof Peter Tshobisa Mtuze
Title : His oeuvre
Language : English/Xhosa
Served in various capacities, in different institutions, from 1961 to 2006 when he retired from Rhodes University where he was Professor and Head of African Languages and Deputy Registrar. He later worked for Vivlia Publishers as Publisher until 2013.
He published, from 1961 to date, more than 25 books in all the genres, viz. novels, short stories, essays, drama, poetry, autobiography and theological books. Some of these works received awards and accolades from various institutions and one of his novels is on the list of literary classics. Many of the titles are available in Braille and audio recordings.
He also translated former President Nelson Mandela’s monumental autobiography Long Walk to Freedom into isiXhosa as Indlela ende eya enkululekweni.
Mtuze has also been a member of many professional bodies. For many years General Secretary of the Xhosa Language Board, was a member of the Xhosa Dictionary Advisory Board at Fort Hare, was a member of the South African Translators Institute, was a member of the African Languages Association where he held the position of Fundraiser and Advisor on Literature for many years.
He served in various bodies such as The Molteno Project (as chair), Albany Museum, Grahamstown Foundation, the then Eastern Cape Technikon Council and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa where he is an Archdeacon and Parish Rector.