Category : Literary Journalism Award
Author : Phakama Mbonambi
Publications : Body of work
Phakama Mbonambi has, in the true spirit and founding vision of SALA’s Literary Journalism Award category’s mandate, made significant contribution to the promotion and development of literature through writing about and analysing South African literature.
He is a journalist and the publishing editor of Wordsetc, a literary journal he founded in 2007 to shine a spotlight on new South African writing.
He, like his predecessors in the illustrious persons of Sol Plaatje, John Langalibalele Dube, Tengo Jabavu, Mweli Skota and a sterling army of men and women in the years gone by, has had a singular and foresighted determination to establish a literary journal and ran it almost singlehandedly for a number of years. Except for a few philanthropists here and there, he paid from his own pocket to deliver this most outstanding journal on a regular basis.
He has worked in the production departments of the Sunday Times, Sportsday, The Star, Business Day and Sunday World.