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This article explores the portrayal of corruption and moral decay in selected Xitsonga protest poetry, focusing on Ngobeni K.J.'s "Xana i vuphorisa ke?"  and Khosa M.A.'s "Hi lo yini hina?". The study investigates how figurative language, particularly proverbs, metaphors, and rhetorical devices, functions not only as a literary technique but also as a social critique drawing on the context theory of meaning, which emphasizes how linguistic expressions derive their meaning from sociocultural and historical contexts in which they are used, the analysis demonstrates how the poets encode complex critiques of institutional decay into culturally resonant language. The study employs a qualitative research design using content analysis to identify and interpret themes of corruption in policing and religion. The findings reveal that both ports present corruption not simply as an act of individual moral failure but as a systemic issue rooted in nepotism, bribery, and spiritual manipulation. Ultimately, the article argues that protest poetry in indigenous languages serves as a powerful tool for moral reflection and civic engagement in contemporary South African society. 

This article aims to discuss national identities as depicted by Mngadi in his debut novel, Imiyalezo (1978). Affirming du Bois’ (1903) notion of the double consciousness and Anderson’s (1983) concept of ‘imagined communities’, the article contends that the national identities are not only a depiction of the idealised past but also the author’s wrestling with the present. Just like people generally remember the good old days when they face the bad new ones, these national identities are essentially hybrid in nature, representing both the past and the present. Rooted in the backdrop of the postcolonial theory and based on the textual approach of the qualitative research method, this article asserts that Mngadi is a postcolonial writer, he ‘writes back’, rights the wrongs of the past, as he attempts to reassert the somehow lost and threatened identities of his nation and in the process speaks on behalf of the subaltern. The article provides a deep understanding of identity issues in South Africa’s post-independence epoch, with reference to Mngadi’s debut novel, and locates the significance of this novel during colonial oppression and in post-independence.