{"id":2865,"date":"2026-06-01T22:58:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T20:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=184590"},"modified":"2026-06-01T22:58:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T20:58:28","slug":"south-africas-indigenous-language-publishing-crisis-sparks-major-national-call-for-new-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/south-africas-indigenous-language-publishing-crisis-sparks-major-national-call-for-new-writers\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa\u2019s Indigenous Language Publishing Crisis Sparks Major National Call for New Writers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DSAC Publishing Hub opens fourth cycle to continue funding books across all South African Official languages, Braille and audiobook formats \u2014 with grant funding available for authors, publishers and selection panel members.<\/p>\n

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), together with the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors\u2019 Association of South Africa (ANFASA), has officially opened applications for the fourth cycle of the DSAC Publishing Hub \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Four Cycles, Measurable Impact<\/strong>
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\u2019s official languages have been supported to evaluate and develop new works. Entries have grown year on year \u2014 and the fourth cycle is the most ambitious yet, targeting new literary works.<\/p>\n

Among the 91 published works to date: twelve exist in Braille and fifteen as audiobooks \u2014 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 \u2014 Khwedam, !Xuhnthali, and Nama \u2014 languages with almost no other formal publishing infrastructure in the country.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 and the results are on the shelf.<\/p>\n

Three Ways to Apply \u2014 All Grant-Funded<\/strong>
The fourth cycle is open across three distinct streams, each carrying direct financial support:<\/p>\n

FOR AUTHORS<\/span><\/p>\n