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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.

The primary objective of this article, among other prescripts, is to unravel the lexicological arena of colonialism and apartheid as a pertinent subject in Ncedile Saule’s Umlimandlela (At the cross-roads). The reason to undertake this scholarly discourse is because of the vestigial elements of colonialism and apartheid that continue to subterfuge the constitutional democracy of our country, thereby decaying and delaying social cohesion and consciousness. Post-colonial theory is employed given that it concentrates on matters before and after the formal end of colonialism in South Africa in 1994. On the other hand, qualitative research methodology is utilized to recognize the selected isiXhosa novel as a primary source of data. Through conceptual and contextual discussions, the main findings certify that though South Africa formally ended colonialism, the currently witnessed colonial tendencies are deeply rooted in the colonial and apartheid systems. As a result, it is fair to accept that colonialism and apartheid in South Africa demonstrate resistance and resilience – and that requires maintained and continued discourses in a bid to challenge the conundrum. The concluding remarks call for the recognition and appreciation of isiXhosa modern literature owing to the reality that it provokes colonial and apartheid discourses that will pivot towards reasonable contestations.

A notable framed literature review accentuates that there is a deficit in the scholarly examination of isiXhosa short stories. Such dearth can be pinned on the agnostic inclination in respect of South African literary criticism – isiXhosa literature included. The fundamental aim of this article is to make a systemic and meticulous examination of one selected isiXhosa short story hinging on dominant patterns such as negative peer pressure and poor parental guidance, among other distinguishable matters. Critical theory is used as a foundational base structure alongside qualitative research methodology for a continued and maintained reading of the short story in a bid to develop a noticeable pattern that will contest the conundrum. The results underline that young people and parents as well as the general society have a solitary responsibility to operate in a synergetic relationship to address some of the problems that continue to sabotage the future of many young men and women. The closing remarks suggest that more scholarly discourse in respect of isiXhosa short stories ought to be advanced. The article makes a notable contribution in that it catalyzes the theoretical and intellectual development of the isiXhosa language and literature.

The poetry of Anelisa Thengimfene, through scholarly critique, certifies that applicatory subjects may be enacted in isiXhosa modern literature. Such applicatory subjects breathe pertinence to social issues that predominantly affect the South African youth and other organs of social anatomy. Using Anelisa Thengimfene’s two selected isiXhosa poems (Imfundo and Iziyobisi) , issues concerning education and drug abuse are critiqued in terms of content or subject matter in order to unmask their interfacing meanings. Textual analysis alongside qualitative research methodology is appointed to operate in a synergetic relationship. The principal objective of this article is to exhibit that education and drug addiction are social problems that continue to sabotage the lives of many young men and women in South Africa and elsewhere. The findings and discussions underscore that isiXhosa modern literature should be employed for the fact that it contests contemporary issues that are valuable and worth theoretical and practical debates. As a direct consequence of that, the closing remarks recommend a maintained scrutinisation of isiXhosa modern poetry. The contribution of this intellectual discourse can be pinned on the fact that Anelisa Thengimfene is an emerging isiXhosa literary writer, and therefore, new insights can be enacted from her literary art.