Seven poems written by a Welkom poet have been incorporated into two poetry anthologies, namely The Secret of a Humble HeartandThe Darkest Light.
Sandile Yenge’s work will feature alongside the poems of various other South African writers. He has also won the AfriCAN Honoree Authors’ Award and is acknowledged as one of the African Pen Warriors.
Yenge decribes himself as an exuberant and versatile individual.
“I am very ambitious about success. I strongly believe that developing a sense of urgency in this rapidly changing world is a necessity.”
His interests in poetry range from his childhood and early adolescence. He reads all manner of literature ranging from poetry to novels, short stories and drama.
“I was also a sucker for theatre plays, and I later fell in love with the penmanship of various authors and poets who sparked my interest. They are Maya Angelou, Lebo Mashile, William Wordsworth, Chinua Achebe, and Zolani Mkiva.”
Yenge acquired information about MFH Publishers from a friend, Sibaphiwe Ndlela, who is also an author.
He told the poet about MFH Publishers, which was compiling an anthology and looking for writers to submit poems. Yenge applied and was accepted.
“The first anthology I was incorporated into was The Secret of a Humble Heart in 2021, and the second was The Darkest Light in 2022.
“This later formed a working productive and lucrative relation for me and MFH Publishers, not forgetting Thulisile Masemola, our compiler and editor.”
The themes in the anthology vary from crime, to anxiety, greed, teenage pregnancy, love, romance, and betrayal.
“The anthologies express issues that the South African youth faces on daily basis. It involves their ambitions and short comings.”
Yenge grew up in the misty coastal regions of Kentani in the Eastern Cape. He later relocated to Virginia in the Free State.
He is a qualified in IsiXhosa and English, and is a specialisations FET educator with a bachelor’s degree and and various accolades like a global recognition award for African writers.
“I later received an accolade of best fourth-year student in the faculty of languages in 2016 at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, endorsed by Dr Simon Makole.”
