Makhosazana ‘Khosi’ Xaba is an award-winning South African anthropologist, short storyteller and an Associate Professor of Practise in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg. She is also an essayist, poet, translator and editor and, in 2022, was conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) (honoris causa) in recognition of her long, sustained contribution as a dedicated feminist, anti-racist activist.
Born in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, Xaba is trained as both a midwife and a psychiatric nurse. She has worked with national and international NGOs and media organisations in the areas of women’s rights, gender and anti-bias training and violence against LGBTQI++ communities. During the second state of emergency in 1986, she went into exile, returning to South Africa in 1990 with the African National Congress Women’s League.
Most recently Xaba translated Franz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth into isiZulu (published by Inkani Books) and completed a writing residency at the Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study. Formerly, she was based at Wits Institute of Social Economic Research as a Research Associate. Her long-term project is writing the biography of Helen Nontando Jabavu.
Xaba began writing poetry in 2000. She has MA (distinction) in Creative Writing from Wits University, Certificate course: Epidemiology for Clinicians from Wits University, Baccalaureus Curations (cum laude) from University of Zululand, Diploma in Journalism (distinction) from Werner-Lambertz International College of Journalism, Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing from Midlands Psychiatric Nursing College and Diploma in Nursing Science & Art & Midwifery (distinction) from Edendale College of Nursing.
Xaba has authored four collections of poetry (the most recent 2021 title is The Art of Waiting for Tales: Found Poetry from Grace - a novel) and one collection of short stories in addition to her extensive editing work across genres. Her short story collection Running & Other Stories has been analysed in literary and academic journals and theses and is taught at more than five South African universities, and universities abroad such as Rutgers, Hawaii University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to name a few.
She has served as a judge for numerous poetry competitions - most recently the 2021 Brunel International African Poetry Prize. Her poetry has been translated into six languages. She has featured in numerous anthologies and has been a writing fellow at institutions for health and social and economic research.
Xaba has also had previous experience working in the philanthropy sector supporting the South African health sector. Prior to this, she worked as a women’s health specialist and queer rights advocate through national and international NGOs. She is an Umkhonto we Sizwe veteran.