Sifiso Mzobe

Sifiso Mzobe was born and raised in the Durban township of Umlazi, where he currently resides. His earliest writing memories trace back to when he was just thirteen years old. Mzobe firmly believes that it was at this tender age that the seed for his passion for writing was sown.

Despite pursuing Science subjects in high school, Mzobe also immersed himself in reading history books. This hobby not only fueled his interest and curiosity about the human condition but also nurtured what he describes as a “love affair with words.”

In 2011, Mzobe made a remarkable debut with his novel Young Blood, which garnered critical acclaim, winning the prestigious Sunday Times Fiction Award and the Herman Charles Bosman Prize for best English Fiction. He also clinched the Best First Time Published Author Award at the 2011 South African Literary Awards.

Following his successful debut, Sifiso Mzobe went on to publish a collection of short stories titled Searching for Simphiwe and other stories. His latest endeavor is a play titled ‘Your Friend is My Friend,’ part of the inaugural Class Acts series of plays for the Intermediate phase.

Reflecting on his craft, Mzobe eloquently expresses, “It (writing) is beautiful for being a comfortable window to view a sometimes-uncomfortable world. It is an art-form that lets the artist start from a blank page, to then invent. I’m in love with it for that; this vision or delusion that in this world, you can still invent.”