uManzekhofi nezaKhe (Zulu, Paperback)

Fred Khumalo’s debut isiZulu book, uManzekhofi nezaKhe (‘Manzekhofi’s Tales’) is a collection of interconnected, irreverent, timeless and witty short stories inspired by Kunyenyeza Esikhotheni, the isiZulu translation of Geraldine Elliot’s The Long Grass Whispers.

Most of the 13 stories are centred on the trials and tribulations of the Sibiya family after moving from the township to a white suburb, as seen through the eyes of Manzekhofi and S’khalangabanye, the house cat and dog.

Other stories, meanwhile, follow the exploits of a host of memorable animal characters, from rats, and goats to the hamerkop bird, baboon, and wild-cats/servals. uManzekhofi nezaKhe, while following the growth of Manzekhofi on his journeys, is also a telling of a family’s experience of post-apartheid South Africa through a seemingly whimsical, but critical lens.