South African literary giant, Bhekizizwe Peterson, has passed away at the age of 60.

Bhekizizwe was born in 1961. He obtained a Bachelor degrees in Drama and African Studies (1982), and also in African Literature (1985) from the University of Cape Town and the University of Witwatersrand respectively. He had a MA in Southern African Studies (York, 1988) and a PhD in African Literature (Wits, 1997).

Bhekizizwe was award-winning South African academic, screenwriter, producer and literary critic. He began teaching at Wits as a Junior Lecturer in 1988 and progressed through the ranks to full Professor in 2012. During his time, he served twice as the Head of the Department of African Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Before his death, Bhekizizwe wrote and produced international award-winning feature films such as Fools and Zulu Love Letter and feature documentaries like Born into Struggle, Zwelidumile, The Battle for Johannesburg, and Miners Shot Down.

You can find the announcement here

May his soul rest in peace.