the march

Poetry
Written By Zama Madinana

a stench of turmoil

lingered in the filthy streets

of johannesburg

bitterness & violence

danced in a river

of war songs

brutal men

with bare chests

chanted with knobkerries in their hands

armed with hate & rage

they threw derogatory slogans at us

after a sprinkle of intelezii

& the leaders remained

silent in the midst

of our suffering

our suffering was turned

into a circus

in the inner-city slums

political illiterate men

leading the march

they cursed

they wanted no kwerekwere

they wanted no nigerian

they wanted no mozambican 

they wanted no shangaan

we had had that song before

in kigali

in boipatong

in zimbabwe

black butchering black

Featured Image Beki Phakathi

Zama Madinana

Zama Madinana is a South African poet based in Johannesburg. His work has appeared in The Shallow Tales Review, Kalahari Review, Efiko, 20.32 Africa, Brittle Paper, Press Pause, The Weganda Review, The Usawa Literary Review, and other literary publications. Zama’s work focuses mainly on love, politics, and social issues. In 2021, he won the third prize of the Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2022. His full-length poetry collection, ‘94, was published in June 2023, and it was longlisted for the South African Literary Award in 2024. In addition to regular performances and readings in Johannesburg and across South Africa, he has performed his poetry in various countries, including Botswana, Mozambique, and Lesotho.

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