Mpimanyeto Mashimbye Biography

Born on the 16th of January 1996, Mpimanyeto Mashimbye is a writer and poet raised in post-apartheid South Africa. The experiences of his early childhood to adulthood are split between the small town of Louis Trichardt (now Makhado) , Pretoria, Polokwane and Johannesburg. Moving into different settings frequently during these periods exposed him to the many differences that exist among the people and to led him to questioning his own place in these spaces. As the son of a social worker and a scientist he attributes his world view to his continued exposure to modes of thinking that are constantly at opposite ends of the spectrum, allowing him to see his world from both perspectives. His poetry draws from the abstract experiences of existing in a shifting South African context where matters of national identity, inclusion and historic oppression are common discussions in the young democracy. Mashimbye currently resides in the city of Johannesburg.