Mulalo Nenungwi, also known as Mulalo The Poet, left many established poets eating humble pie when he was nominated as the best traditional praise singer at the upcoming South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA) for his poem “Mahaya Ashu”. The awards ceremony will be held in Durban on 15 December.

The 41-year-old from Tshitavha Tsha Sambandou, who is now based in Gauteng, is the only Muvenda poet to have received a nomination in this category. He will be competing with Lizo Ndobe, Ndebele Alpha, and Inqanawe Yangempela.

Nenungwi, who is a security officer by profession, says he fell in love with poetry as a young boy in primary school when he would write poetry just for the fun of it. This passion, however, grew as the years went by, but his work remained unpublished. Only in 2021 did his wife, Ms. Ndivhuho Ramapi Nenungwi, finally convince him to compile his poems into a book. In the same year, he published his first collection of poems, titled “Munna Ndi Nnyi”, which went on to win the 2021 Book of the Year award at the African Authors and Print Awards. He also authored a biography about his father, Mr. Mmbulungeni Power Nenungwi, in 2021.

Nenungwi is upbeat about his nomination. “It still has not sunk in that I have been nominated for this prestigious award. I think the nomination is an affirmation of the impact I am making in people’s lives through my poems. I recite my poems in my mother tongue, and they are informative. I think this is what it is all about being a poet - carrying messages across to the community. The competition might be stiff, but I am bringing this one home to make my people proud,” he said.

Nenungwi is calling on his fans and the public to vote for him. For more information on how the voting works, visit SATMA’s Facebook page.