Siphokazi Jonas is a multi-award-winning poet, playwright, actor, and producer based in Cape Town, South Africa. She holds an MA in English Literature and an undergraduate degree in Drama and English from the University of Cape Town. She has been a featured act at numerous festivals globally.
Her awards include a South African Film and Television Award for Best Short Film, Western Cape Cultural Affairs Awards for Most Innovative Young Artist (2022) and Literary Excellence (2025), and 100 Sunday World Unsung Heroes. She is the author of Weeping Becomes a River, published by Penguin Random House South Africa. The debut collection was awarded the 2024 Book Lounge Book of the Year, listed among the 100 Notable African Books of 2024, and is the joint winner of the 2025 HSS Award for Best Poetry.
Siphokazi was also awarded the 2025 University of Johannesburg Debut Prize for South African writing in English. She was named the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees 2025 Festival Poet alongside Antjie Krog.
South Africa