South Africa’s Indigenous Language Publishing Crisis Sparks Major National Call for New Writers

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), together with the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors’ Association of South Africa (ANFASA), has officially opened applications for the fourth cycle of the DSAC Publishing Hub — a programme that has already funded 91 books across indigenous languages, Braille, and audiobook formats since its launch in 2023. For writers, publishers, and editorial professionals sitting on the fence: grant funding is available across all three application streams, with deadlines arriving in June.

Four Cycles, Measurable Impact
The numbers from the first three cycles tell a clear story of growth. Twenty-four publishing companies have moved manuscripts through the programme. Seventy-nine editors, assessors, and language specialists across South Africa’s official languages have been supported to evaluate and develop new works. Entries have grown year on year — and the fourth cycle is the most ambitious yet, targeting new literary works.

Among the 91 published works to date: twelve exist in Braille and fifteen as audiobooks — extending South African storytelling to readers who are visually impaired and opening up audiences the publishing sector has historically struggled to reach. Perhaps most significantly, five titles have been published in Khoi and San languages — Khwedam, !Xuhnthali, and Nama — languages with almost no other formal publishing infrastructure in the country.

The gap the programme addresses is well-documented. Despite 11 official languages, the overwhelming majority of commercially published South African titles remain in English or Afrikaans. The DSAC Publishing Hub is a direct, funded response to that imbalance — and the results are on the shelf.

Three Ways to Apply — All Grant-Funded
The fourth cycle is open across three distinct streams, each carrying direct financial support:

FOR AUTHORS
— R25,000 grant per selected manuscript
— Editorial mentorship and development support throughout production
— Publication in print, and where eligible, audiobook or Braille format
— Open to South African citizens writing in any official language
— Women, youth under 35, and writers with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply

FOR PUBLISHERS
— R80,000 per manuscript — covering editing, design, printing, and distribution
— Access to a curated pool of evaluated manuscripts and authors
— Opportunity to build an indigenous-language catalogue with direct government support

FOR SELECTION PANEL MEMBERS
— Financially supported roles for editors, literary assessors, and language specialists
— Positions available across all 11 official languages
— A direct route into the national literary development pipeline

Eligible manuscript genres include novels, poetry anthologies, short story collections, drama, narrative non-fiction, biography, history, politics, sport, health, and children’s or young adult literature. Religious texts, self-help, novelettes, and film or television scripts are excluded.

Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not translated. One submission per applicant per financial year. Previous author beneficiaries are ineligible for three years.

In Their Words
“What excites us most is the momentum — every cycle we see more applications, more genres, more languages represented. Ninety-one published works is a remarkable foundation, but it is the writers still to come that the fourth cycle is really about. South African stories deserve shelf space in South African bookshops. If you have been sitting on a manuscript, this is your funded opportunity to change that.”
Professor Sihawukele Ngubane, ANFASA Chairperson

Applications Close in June — Don’t Miss the Window
With the fourth cycle already generating strong early interest, DSAC and ANFASA are urging eligible applicants not to wait. Publisher and selection panel applications close 12 June 2026. Manuscript submissions close 26 June 2026. Selections will be announced in August 2026, with publication scheduled between October 2026 and March 2027.

Apply now: ANFASA - https://www.anfasa.org.za/dasc-publishing-hub/ or
DSAC - https://share.google/yIEiUy9ss0Xr4f7xF

For Media enquiries and Interview requests or high res images contact JT Communication Solutions on media@jtcomms.co.za or (011) 788 7632 - 083 954 6133

Issued by JT Communication Solutions on Behalf of ANFASA - https://www.anfasa.org

Date: 01 June 2026 to 26 June 2026
Venue: Online, Johannesburg

Contact: Dee's Harilal
Company name: JT Communication Solutions
Telephone number: 0839546133
Email address az.oc.smmoctj@aidem