Sue Nyathi

Sue Nyathi is an award-winning author known for four bestselling and critically acclaimed novels: The Polygamist (2012), The Gold Diggers (2018), A Family Affair (2020), and An Angel’s Demise (2022). Her debut, The Polygamist, has been adapted into a Netflix television series which premiered on the 12th of June 2026 and became number 1 in 21 countries, captivating global audiences. Beyond fiction, Nyathi has edited two collections of creative nonfiction: Manhood: Confessions from the Heart (Kwela, 2026) and When Secrets Become Stories, Women Speak Out (Jonathan Ball, 2021). Her essays also appear in the anthologies Black Tax: A Burden or Ubuntu (Jonathan Ball, 2019) and Hair: Unpicking and Weaving Stories of Identity (Karavan Press, 2019). In 2024, she co-authored Nozibele Mayaba’s memoir, Positively Me: Daring to Live and Love Beyond HIV. Nyathi is currently working on her fifth novel.

Outside of writing, she serves as a curator for the Johannesburg Festival of Women Writers and the Kingsmead Book Fair. She is a judge on the Fiction panel of the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences Awards and the Sunday Times Literary Awards. In her leisure time, she enjoys binge watching TV dramas, mostly period dramas like Downtown Abbey and the Gilded Age. She is a Bonafide Formula 1 racing fan. She loves trying out new recipes and enjoys cooking shows. Outside of the home, Nyathi loves to travel and loves the outdoors and being on water. She enjoys attending art fairs, music concerts and dance recitals.

Position: An award-winning author

Schedule

2026-10-31 - Fireside Discussion
The Polygamist: From Rejected Manuscript to Netflix Global No.1
The Anatomy of an African Hit
Time 03:00 p.m