Can Themba Merit Award Anthology: When Water Wants To Launched
DALRO & partners launched Can Themba Merit Award Anthology: When Water Wants To
What: Book launch of When Water Wants To, the first DALRO Can Themba Merit Award anthology (published by Wits University Press).
When / Where: 8 September 2025, Exclusive Books Rosebank, Johannesburg.
Partners: DALRO (award), Wits University Press (publisher), Market Theatre, UKZN Centre for Creative Arts (CCA)
The event announced the winning short story, and the Market Theatre appointed a dramaturge to develop a stage adaptation.
The book features the Top Ten finalists selected from nationwide submissions, a showcase of powerful new SA voices. Interview options
Q&A with the winner (post-announcement, on the night or the next day)
Short interviews with the publisher/editorial lead and Market Theatre on the page-to-stage process
Photos: Winner announcement; group shot with finalists/partners; book signings; audience/venue stills uploaded here RSVP / Media contact: iSupport Creative Business: 083 337 2518 (Manelis) or 079 707 7773 (Marlyn (for accreditation, assets, book copies and interview scheduling).
Can Themba Award Anthology Launched
“Writers are often considered the minority in many societies. Many begin dozens of stories, but only a handful are able to spin these beginnings all the way through into substantial endings. These few can be considered as the compendium of our society.”
~ Aysha Ahmed
Marking World Literacy Day
Monday, 8 September, was World Literary Day and marked the 58th anniversary of Can Themba’s death and was therefore Can Themba Day.
To commemorate the day, the Dramatic, Artistic & Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO), together with Wits University Press and The Market Theatre, in partnership with the Centre for Creative Arts, launched the highly anticipated first edition of an anthology of short stories titled When Water Wants To under the banner of the DALRO Can Themba Merit Award.
Can Themba Merit Award: A Literary Milestone
The launch of When Water Wants To followed the launch of the Can Themba Merit Award at the Time of the Writer festival in March 2025.
More than 250 entries were received from new and aspiring writers from across the country. A jury moderated by Ismail Mahomed and comprised of Niq Mhlongo, Shafinaaz Hassim, Lynn Joffe, Lorraine Sithole, Greg Homan, Neil Coppen and Tiisetso Mashifane whittled down the entries to the top ten stories published in When Water Wants To, an anthology edited by Neil Coppen and published by Wits University Press.
A Showcase of New SA Voices
When Water Wants To is a collection of stories that range from the deeply personal to the wildly allegorical, playing with genre conventions and inhabiting a multitude of perspectives and unruly voices.
Confirming the pre-eminence of the short story, and its oral antecedents in our culture, the stories delve into the national psyche in the conversations they have, the connections and parallels they make and the themes, concerns and water-soaked imagery they share.
Can Themba Short Story Award: From Page to Stage
On Monday, 8 September at Exclusive Books in Rosebank, Johannesburg, DALRO brought together the top ten finalists of the DALRO Can Themba Merit Award for the launch of When Water Wants To. The runner-up and winner were announced at this event. The Market Theatre appointed a dramaturge to assist the winning author to adapt their Short Story into a stage play; more details about this will follow.
Voices from the Partners
“What fascinating stories from a talented group of new writers! While Wits University Press is best known for scholarly non-fiction, we’re delighted to occasionally branch into short stories and plays, giving a wider range of authors a publishing platform. We’re especially proud to be launching When Water Wants To on International Literacy Day. Our thanks also go to DALRO – whose vital work in protecting authors’ rights we fully support – for inviting us to partner in this project.”
~ Veronica Klipp, Wits University Press
“DALRO prides itself in supporting emerging creators through its initiatives. This one in particular, is to honour Can Themba and we can’t wait to see what more will develop from the winning short story and more importantly, what impact it will have on the writing careers of emerging authors”
~ Lazarus Serobe, DALRO’s Managing Director
“As the Market Theatre Foundation, we are honoured to stand in tribute to Can Themba, whose legacy continues to inspire new generations of storytellers. The anthology When Water Wants To affirms the vitality of the short story form as a bridge between the oral traditions that have shaped our cultural imagination and the voices that are currently shaping South Africa’s literary future. We are especially excited to nurture the winning writer’s journey from page to stage, giving their words a new life in the theatre.”
~ Greg Homann, Artistic Director of the Market Theatre Foundation
“We are delighted that the DALRO Can Themba Merit Award could be launched at the Time of the Writer festival. We applaud DALRO for launching the project and for enabling us to support the writers with a mentoring programme that has enabled them to both refine their original submissions and better understand the publishing industry. We look forward to hosting the Top Ten at the Time of the Writer festival next year.”
~ Ismail Mahomed, Director at Centre for Creative Arts
