The Jakes Gerwel Foundation and Oude Leeskamer in Stellenbosch are thrilled to announce that Lebo Mazibuko is the recipient of their second writer’s residency for the year, taking place at Oude Leeskamer’s luxurious writer’s room in November 2024.
Lebo Mazibuko was born and raised in the township of Soweto, in Johannesburg South Africa. She began a career in theatre and television before focusing more on her passion for writing and poetry. She is currently doing her MA in Creative Writing at the University of Cape Town. Lebo was chosen as one of the writers for The Jakes Gerwel Foundation’s emerging writers residency in 2020. It was during this time where she worked on her debut novel Bantu Knots (2021) under the mentorship of Angela Briggs.
Bantu Knots was published by NB Publishers and was shortlisted for a K. Sello Duiker Memorial Award at the South African Literary Awards in 2022. The novel is also a prescribed text at the Sol Plaatjie University for the third year Creative Writing students since 2023.
As a poet, Lebo has performed extensively for over a decade. Her performances include the Union Buildings, the memorial service for Winnie Madikizela Mandela, the 2023 Brics Summit for the presidential banquet which hosted fifty-two heads of states, as well as other corporates such as Nedbank and Broadband. Lebo’s writing focuses on telling multigenerational stories about Black women and the relationships they have with each other.
Congratulations Lebo Mazibuko, may your time at Oude Leeskamer’s writer’s room be extraordinary and inspiring!
Click here to read more about The Jakes Gerwel Foundation and Oude Leeskamer’s writer’s residency.
