New literary voice, an attorney Dyondzo Kwinika wins inaugural DALRO Can Themba Merit Award Short Story Competition

At an event held at Exclusive Books Rosebank on Monday, 8, September 2025, Lerato Mahlangu from Mpumalanga was declared the runner up.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

The tribe came in large numbers to witness what the organisers of the competition believe are the new literary voices writing in the short story form, whose work in many ways is close to the highbrow prose produced by the late legendary South African short story writer and journalist Can Themba.

The mood was expectant as we all congregated at Exclusive Books Rosebank on Monday, 8 September, 2025, each of us not quite sure what to expect at the unveiling of the new literary voices, 10 in number, whose short stories submission made it to the final league of the newly launched DALRO Can Themba Merit Award Short Story Competition. All the 10 short stories are included in the anthology When Water Wants To.

At the event Dyondzo Kwinika was declared the ultimate winner for his short story titled Mr Duiker Sang The Blues, walking home with a R10 000 cash prize, and the runner was Lerato Mahlangu from Mpumalanga whose short story titled Zombie made her R3000 richer.

The event besides the reveal of the 10 finalists, including the ultimate winner and runner up was also the launch of the anthology itself. 

The launch of When Water Wants To follows the launch of the Can Themba Merit Award at the Time of the Writer festival in March 2025. More than 250 entries were received from new and aspiring writers from across the country. A jury moderated by Ismail Mahomed and comprised of Niq Mhlongo, Shafinaaz Hassim, Lynn Joffe, Lorraine Sithole, Greg Homan, Neil Coppen and Tiisetso Mashifane whittled down the entries to the top ten stories published in When Water Wants To, an anthology edited by Neil Coppen and published by Wits University Press.

When Water Wants To is a collection of stories that range from the deeply personal to the wildly allegorical, playing with genre conventions and inhabiting a multitude of perspectives and unruly voices. Confirming the pre-eminence of the short story, and its oral antecedents in our culture, the stories delve into the national psyche in the conversations they have, the connections and parallels they make and the themes, concerns and water-soaked imagery they share. 

The Market Theatre will appoint a dramaturge to assist the winning author to adapt their Short Story into a stage play, more details about this will follow.

 “What fascinating stories from a talented group of new writers! While Wits University Press is best known for scholarly non-fiction, we’re delighted to occasionally branch into short stories and plays, giving a wider range of authors a publishing platform. We’re especially proud to be launching When Water Wants To on International Literacy Day. Our thanks also go to DALRO – whose vital work in protecting authors’ rights we fully support – for inviting us to partner in this project,” Veronica Klipp, Publisher, Wits University Press.

”DALRO prides itself in supporting emerging creators through its initiatives. This one in particular, is to honour Can Themba and we can’t wait to see what more will develop from the winning short story and more importantly, what impact it will have on the writing careers of emerging authors,” says DALRO’s Managing Director, Lazarus Serobe.

 “As the Market Theatre Foundation, we are honoured to stand in tribute to Can Themba, whose legacy continues to inspire new generations of storytellers. The anthology When Water Wants To affirms the vitality of the short story form as a bridge between the oral traditions that have shaped our cultural imagination and the voices that are currently shaping South Africa’s literary future. We are especially excited to nurture the winning writer’s journey from page to stage, giving their words a new life in the theatre,” says Greg Homann, Artistic Director of the Market Theatre Foundation.

 “We are delighted that the DALRO Can Themba Merit Award could be launched at the Time of the Writer festival. We applaud DALRO for launching the project and for enabling us to support the writers with a mentoring programme that has enabled them to both refine their original submissions and better understand the publishing industry. We look forward to hosting the Top Ten at the Time of the Writer festival next year”, said Ismail Mahomed, Director at Centre for Creative Arts.

The contributors to the anthology are KJ Aires, Megan Choritz, Dyondzo Kwinika, Sebabatso Madibu, Lerato Mahlangu, Kamva Majo, Lethukukhanya Mzulwini, Rabada Unarine Princess Rosieda Shabodien and Dashalia Singaram. The anthology is now available for purchase at books shops at a retail price of R340.