Letters From South Africa

Bongani explores what it feels like to be a young black man in Cape Town, addressing problems in the way the city has been divided geographically by race and gentrification and imagining a cosmopolitan 'dream city' in its place.

Bongani Kona is a Zimbabwean born freelance writer who lives in Cape Town. He is a contributing editor of Chimurenga, a pan African publication of writing, art and politics. His writing has also appeared in Mail & Guardian, Rolling Stone (South Africa), Sunday Times and other publications and websites. He was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing for his story 'At your Requiem' in 2016.

Written and read by Bongani Kona

Produced by Simon Richardson.

Writer Bongani Kona begins five letters from South Africa in the week of the ANC elections

Journalist Mark Gevisser shares his experience of returning from a peaceful life in France to a politically fraught South Africa . Gevisser luxuriates in the beauty of his new seaside residence in a village outside Cape Town, but soon discovers signs of a desperate underclass living very close to home.

Mark Gevisser is one of South Africa's leading authors and journalists. His latest book, the memoir 'Lost and Found in Johannesburg' was shortlisted for the Jan Michalski Prize for Literature in 2014. His biography of second post-apartheid President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki - 'Thabo Mbeki and the Future of the South African Dream' - was the winner of the Sunday Times 2008 Alan Paton Prize.

Written and read by Mark Gevisser

Produced by Nicola Holloway.

Writer Mark Gevisser's letter from South Africa broadcast in the week of the ANC elections

Novelist and journalist Panashe Chigumadzi, who was born in Zimbabwe, describes how it feels to be a foreign born, black citizen of modern South Africa and considers the legacy of colonialism and apartheid and how it informs modern xenophobia.

Panashe Chigumadzi was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in South Africa. Her debut novel Sweet Medicine (2015) won the 2016 K. Sello Duiker Literary Award. She is the founding editor of Vanguard Magazine, a platform for young black women coming of age in post-apartheid South Africa. A contributing editor to the Johannesburg Review of Books, her work has featured in titles such as The New York Times (USA), The Washington Post (USA), Transition (USA), The Guardian (UK), City Press (SA), The Sunday Times (SA) and Die Ziet (Germany).

Written and read by Panashe Chigumadzi

Produced by Simon Richardson.

Writer Panashe Chigumadzi's letter from South Africa in the week of the ANC elections.

Author Lidudumalingani Mqombothi, winner of the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing, reflects on his mother's memories of participating in South Africa's first democratic election, and on the educational prospects facing his generation of young South Africans who came after.

Lidudumalingani Mqombothi is a writer, filmmaker and photographer. He was born in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, in a village called Zikhovane. He has published short stories, non-fiction and criticism in various publications. His films have been screened at a number of film festivals.

Written and read by Lidudumalingani Mqombothi

Produced by Simon Richardson.

Author Lidudumalingani Mqombothi on life in South Africa during the week of ANC elections.