Mhudi

First published in 1930, Mhudi by Sol Plaatje is widely regarded as the first novel written in English by a Black South African. Set in the early nineteenth century against a backdrop of war, migration and upheaval, it tells the story of Mhudi, a courageous young woman who survives the destruction of her people and embarks on a journey of resilience, love and rebuilding. Alongside her husband, Ra-Thaga, she navigates a changing and often hostile landscape, forging unexpected alliances and holding onto hope in the face of profound loss. Both an epic romance and a powerful historical narrative, Mhudi is a pioneering work of South African literature. Rich in imagination and insight, it offers a deeply human perspective on a turbulent period in the country’s past, and remains as significant and moving today as when it was first published.

SOL T. PLAATJE was born in 1876 near Boshoff in the Orange Free State. A writer, journalist and political leader, he was a founding member and the first General Secretary of the African National Congress in 1912. He worked as a court interpreter in Mafeking and later edited newspapers in English and Setswana. He is best known for Mhudi (1930), widely regarded as the first novel in English by a Black South African. In addition to his original writing, he translated several of William Shakespeare’s works into Setswana. He died in Kimberley in 1932.