BUYILE

Ayanda Billie
(1975 - )
HENA011
2025
LECTURER: Mrs. Margrit Schulze
AYANDA BILLIE – BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Ayanda Billie, born in 1975 in KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage (now Kariega), South Africa, is a distinguished poet, writer, and
community arts activist. He has spent his entire life in his hometown, working professionally as a quality inspector at
Volkswagen South Africa in Uitenhage.
africanbookscollective.com
Billie has made significant contributions to South African literature with his poetry collections:
Avenues of My Soul: An English-language collection that offers deep reflections on personal and communal experiences.
africanbookscollective.com
Umhlaba Umanzi: This isiXhosa collection earned Billie the South African Literary Award (SALA) in 2019, recognizing its
profound impact on South African poetry.
africanbookscollective.com
KwaNobuhle Overcast: Published in 2019, this collection received the SALA award for Poetry in 2021. The poems provide
vivid observations of his community two decades into South Africa’s democracy, depicting the challenges and resilience of
KwaNobuhle's residents.
africanbookscollective.com
Beyond his writing, Billie is deeply involved in promoting literature and the arts within his community. He founded a local
book club and co-founded the Mandela Bay Book Fair, platforms that encourage reading and literary engagement.
Additionally, he is a jazz critic, intertwining his passion for music with his literary pursuits.
africanbookscollective.com
Billie's poetry has been featured in various publications, including Numsanews, New Coin, Ityhini, Carapace, Kotaz, Timbila,
and Illuminations, as well as several online literary journals.
poetryafrica.ukzn.ac.za
His work often reflects the socio-economic realities of his community, capturing both the struggles and enduring spirit of its
people.
Information from ChatGPT retrieved 01.03.2025
AYANDA BILLIE – MORE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
KwaNobuhle Overcast, registers the intuitiveness of Ayanda Billie’s vision of his
township and his life around it. Billie has carved for himself a voice and a style that
is entirely his own, inspired by poets before him.
“Poetry to me is what I see, what I hear and what I smell. It has taught me to be an
observant person and to always have compassion. Poems always whisper in my
ears; I have to listen, and they make me to listen even if other people are talking.”
I wish my poems
could be like stones
if thrown into the green sea
they will stay there
until the next generation
dives to the deep
to look for them.
Ayanda Billie was born in 1975 in KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, where he still lives. He
sometimes facilitates creative writing workshops for the youth. He also founded a
book club locally to grow a reading and writing culture in his community. He
achieved his MA in Creative writing at Rhodes University in 2016. He also holds a
Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Law from Nelson Mandela University.
AYANDA BILLIE – FURTHER READING
https://deepsouth.co.za/product/kwanobuhle-
overcast/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Review by Tony Voss of KwaNobuhle Overcast by Ayanda

Billie Stanzas, 2021 text PDF

Review by Vonani Bila of KwaNobuhle Overcast by Ayanda Billie The

Johannesburg Review of Books, 2020 text PDF
BUYILE
he was that breed that was touched
by the humbleness of Sobukwe
so they came for him
ama-comrade necklaced him
in broad daylight 5
while children were watching

after seven days

ama-afrika buried him
when the sun stood still
BUYILE

when they filled the grave 10

with the last scoop of the soil
anger evaporated
the police were there at a distance
watching with a smile
when open palms were raised 15
__ izwe lethu i-afrika!
BUYILE

later ama-comrade came again

to dig him out from his grave
in the presence of the police
they burnt him in his coffin 20
screaming “mayibuye i-afrika!”

By Ayanda Billie
Billie, A, 2019, KwaNobuhle Overcast, Cape Town: Deep South, p31
TITLE OF THE POEM BUYILE
The linguistic meaning of the word “buyile”, which is of Zulu origin, is
“He / She has come back”.

The question arises: Who is being referred to in the word “Buyile”?

Who or what has come back?
Is “Buyile” the name of a person?
BUYILE – LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS
STANZA 1
Lines 1 - 3 he was that breed that was touched
by the humbleness of Sobukwe
so they came for him

Lines 1 – 3 The poem starts with the persona / speaker of the poem*
talking about a man, “he”, who was that sort who was influenced by and enamoured
(“touched”) of Sobukwe.
As a consequence the “they” came for him – that is, the “they” chased him / persecuted
him.

*A persona in a poem refers to the voice of the character that the poet creates to speak
the poem. It is a “mask” behind which the poet expresses ideas or experiences from a
perspective that is not necessarily their own. It is the speaker of the poem who is not
necessarily the poet.
(AI Gemini Overview, retrieved from Google 06.02.25) Also check “Persona” in Literature
at https://study.com )
BUYILE – Stanza 1, Line 1 – 3 continued
The question now arises: “Who was Sobukwe” (line 2).
Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe (1924 – 1978) – teacher, lecturer, lawyer, Fort
Hare University SRC president, secretary of the ANC branch in Standerton,
was in 1959 the founding member and first president of the Pan African
Congress (PAC). He was a strong believer in an Africanist future for South
Africa and rejected any governmental and political model that suggested
working with any other grouping than (black) Africans. He defined an
“African” as anyone who was in Africa and who is prepared to be subject to
African majority rule.**

**The Pan African movement was dedicated to establishing independence

for African nations and cultivating unity among black people throughout the
world. (https://www.Britannica.com retr. 06.02.25) For further information
read: ‘Robert Sobukwe’ https://en.Wikipedia.org; South Africa History
Online https://www.sahistory.org.za; South Africa Gateway
https://southafrica-info.com
BUYILE – Stanza 1, Line 1 – 3 continued
The PAC broke away from the African National Congress (ANC) in 1959.
It differed from the ANC because the PAC was against the ANC’s theory
that “the land belongs to all who live in it, both black and white. The
PAC also rejected a multi-racialist world view. Instead, it promoted a
South Africa based on African nationalism, in other words, in a
nationalism which was dominated by black Africans. (See also Pan-
Africanist Congress of Azania: https://en.Wikipedia.org retrieved
06.02.2025)
The question arises: “Who is the “they” in line 3 who came back for
him?
The answer follows in Line 4 – 6.
BUYILE – Stanza 1, Line 4 – 6
Line 4 – 6: ama-comrade necklaced him
in broad daylight 5
while children were watching

The “they” are the “ama-comrade” who necklaced him in the middle of the
day and children were watching this.

Who were the “ama-comrade”?

The ama-comrade were ANC-thugs whose behaviour caused disunity
amongst the oppressed black people, especially in the townships during the
height of the violent years during the struggle against Apartheid in the
1980s. People believe that the Apartheid government stoked (promoted)
the disunity between liberation movements, in this poem between the PAC
and the ANC in KwaNobuhle, a township near Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape.
BUYILE – Stanza 2, Line 7 – 9
Line 7 – 9 after seven days
ama-afrika buried him
when the sun stood still

Stanza 2 (line 7 – 9) continues the narrative of Buyile, namely that the

“he” is buried by ama-Afrika after seven days of his murder through
necklacing “when the sun stood still’’ (line 9).
“ama-afrika” (line 8) is an isiXhosa term that stands for “African people”
or “the Africans”. The political and cultural significance of the poet
using this term is that in Pan Africanist terminology the “ama-afrika” is
used to draw attention to all the oppressed Africans across the
continent who felt togetherness (solidarity) in their struggle against
oppression. In line 8 “ama-afrika” were the people who had supported
the “he” in opposition to the “ama-comrade” thugs.
BUYILE – Stanza 2, Line 7 – 9 continued
Note: line 9: The sun stood still.
The metaphorical meaning of “The sun stood still” is that there is a
significant event.
This metaphor signifies that the death and burial of a necklaced person
who belonged to their own community was a significant event.
Note the alliteration of the ‘s’ sound in “the sun stood still”. This gives
emphasis and alludes to shock amongst the people during these violent
times.
BUYILE – Stanza 3, Line 10 – 16
when they filled the grave 10
with the last scoop of the soil
anger evaporated
the police were there at a distance
watching with a smile
when open palms were raised 15
__ izwe lethu i-afrika!

Stanza 3 (line 10 – 16) describes what happened when the “he” was
buried.
BUYILE – Stanza 3, Line 10 – 16 continued
Line 10 – 12: when they filled the grave 10
with the last scoop of the soil
anger evaporated
These lines describe what happened when they had completed filling
the grave with the last shovel full of soil. The ritual of putting the last
shovel of soil into the grave is like a metaphor for laying down the
angry emotions attached to the person who was murdered. The anger
of the community who had supported the “he” dissipated (evaporated,
was gone).
The burial was a cathartic act (cleansing act) for the community. It was
a process of releasing their repressed emotions and metaphorically it
meant closure to the life of the man who was murdered.
BUYILE – Stanza 3, Line 10 – 16 continued
Line 13 – 16: the police were there at a distance
watching with a smile
when open palms were raised 15
__ izwe lethu i-afrika!

These lines describe how the police were watching the burial
“with a smile” (line 14) – that is with pleasure, especially when the
funeral goers lifted the open palms of their hands and shouted “izwe
lethu i-afrika!”
BUYILE – Stanza 3, Line 10 – 16 continued
Why did the police smile?
Were the police black or white police?

If they were white policemen, did they smile because a significant opponent of Apartheid had died?

If they were black policemen, did they smile in sympathy with the mourners when they were
shouting “izwe lethu i-afrika!” ?

In Pan Africanist terminology “izwe lethu” was a slogan that was used during civil unrest and
uprisings. “Izwe lethu” is also the title of an anti-Apartheid struggle song.

The fact that the funeral goers from the local community were shouting the PAC slogan “izwe lethu
i-afrika” shows their commitment to their allegiance to the PAC struggle against Apartheid.

The slogan “izwe lethu i-afrika” is a metaphor for the PAC struggle against Apartheid.
BUYILE – Stanza 4, Line 17 – 21
later ama-comrade came again
to dig him out from his grave
in the presence of the police
they burnt him in his coffin 20
screaming “mayibuye i-afrika!”

In the last stanza there is talk again about the “ama-comrade”. The
“ama-comrade” returned (lines 17 – 18) (in vernacular: “buyile”) and
dug out the corpse from its grave while the police were there (line 19).
While the police were there (line 19) they burnt the corpse in its coffin
(line 20), and during this act, they were screaming “mayibuye i-afrika!”
BUYILE – Stanza 4, Line 17 – 21 continued
What is the significance of the ama-comrade screaming “mayibuye i-
afrika”?
“mayibuye i-afrika” means return Africa to Africans as a slogan. From
the 1940s onwards it became a rallying cry for the ANC in its struggle
for freedom.
The members of the ANC used the slogan “Mayibuye i-Afrika” with the
ANC salute (raised right fist with thumb pointing to the right shoulder)
to demonstrate a fighting spirit in defiant protest against oppression,
later against Apartheid.
The slogan “mayibuye i-afrika” is thus a metaphor for the ANC’s
struggle against oppression and Apartheid.
BUYILE – Stanza 4, Line 17 – 21 continued
In this stanza the fact that the ama comrade of the ANC were shouting
the ANC’s slogan “mayibuye i-afrika” reveals the division within the
members of different political factions within the struggle against
Apartheid, in this poem, the Pan African Congress (PAC) against the
African National Congress (ANC).
It shows that in some geographical areas in South Africa, like the
Eastern Cape, there was a division amongst the black community, who
were all struggling against the shackles of Apartheid.
They were fighting against the same evil, but with different approaches.
As you probably are all aware, it was the ANC that finally triumphed in
the struggle in 1994 and became the leading party to form the first
post Apartheid democratic government of South Africa.
REFLECTION ON THE TITLE BUYILE
The title Buyile can be interpreted in two ways.

On a personal level Buyile, who was a PAC sympathizer, may have been the
name of a person who was killed by the ANC ama-comrade.

On a socio-political level Buyile could refer to the triumph of the ANC over
the PAC: The ama-comrade killed a PAC sympathizer, and later on they came
back and exhumed his corpse and coffin, burnt these, showing that he was
completely eliminated and that they, the ANC, were the victors.
The title thus has a double meaning: It may refer to a person, and at the
same time it could refer to the ANC returning as the conquerors over the
PAC.
One interpretation could be that Buyile stands as a metaphor for ANC victory
over the PAC. The ANC had returned and triumphed. It could be a metaphor
for the victory of the ANC ama-comrades over the PAC supporters, the ama-
afrika.
FORM OF THE POEM
The poem is content-wise an elegy, meaning, mourning and lamenting
the death of a person.
The poem has 4 stanzas, stanza 1 consisting of 6 lines, stanza 2 of 3
lines, stanza 3 of 7 lines and stanza 4 of 5 lines.
The poem is written in free verse, that is with no strict rhyme scheme.
However, the poem has a content-structure where stanza 1 and
stanza 4, the last stanza, are related content-wise because here the
speaker mentions the ANC affiliated ama-comrade. The middle
stanzas, stanza 2 and stanza 3, are related to each other in that here
the speaker talks about the ama-afrika, the PAC-affiliated members.
The ANC-related content encircles the PAC-related content. One could
interpret this as the power relationship between the ANC and PAC and
that the PAC is encircled by the ANC.
This formalistic presentation could be interpreted as a stylistic
metaphor for the power disparity between the PAC and the ANC,
where the ANC was the stronger power and triumphant in 1994.
FORM OF THE POEM continued
Another striking feature is the punctuation, or, in other words, the lack
of punctuation. There are no punctuation marks except for a dash
before “izwe” in “izwe lethu i-afrika” (stanza 3, line 16) and 2
exclamation marks after the expressions in vernacular “izwe lethu i-
afrika” (stanza 3, line 16) and “mayibuye i-afrika” (stanza 4, line 21).
The exclamation marks are used after the slogans of two liberation
movements, each slogan belonging to a different liberation movement
being the PAC and ANC respectively.
Another noteworthy feature of the form is that except for “Sobukwe”
(stanza 1, line 2), the surname of the leader of the PAC, there are no
capital letters in the entire poem, which normally go hand-in-hand
after the period punctuation mark.
The effect of the lack of punctuation marks is that the poem flows
easily with a lamenting tone. Such a lamenting tone is characteristic of
an elegy (lament for someone or something).
FORM OF THE POEM continued
Furthermore, this elegy has an interesting structure where poetic
devices are repeated.
For instance, note the enjambment (running line) from line 1 – line 2:
“he was that breed that was touched / by the humbleness of
Sobukwe”, which is followed by a consequential statement, “so they
came for him” (line 3). This pattern is repeated in the second part of
stanza 1 in line 4 – line 6: enjambment (running line) from line 4 –
line 5, “ama comrade necklaced him / in broad daylight”, which is
followed by a temporal statement “while children were watching”
(line 6)
Then, in stanza 2, the shortest stanza with only 3 lines, there is a jump
in time and a figurative turning point. After 7 days, the focus shifts to
the PAC practising the last rights, namely burying “him” (line 8), their
sympathizer. Again there is a repeat of an enjambment “after seven
days / ama-afrika buried him (line 7 – line 8) and a temporal statement
“when the sun stood still” (line 9), a metaphor for an important event.
FORM OF THE POEM continued
In stanza 3 and stanza 4 the structural pattern of an enjambment (running
line) and a statement repeats itself. This structural pattern supports the easy
flowing tone of the poem. This pattern also emphasizes an unending story in
what happened between the different liberation movements. They were
continuously at loggerheads with each other.
In addition, the conjunctions “while” (stanza 1) and “when” (stanza 2 and 3),
indicating time, also emphasize the flowing tone of the poem and add
cohesiveness to the first three stanzas.
However, it should be noted that the differing slogans belonging to the PAC
“izwe lethu i-afrika” (line 16) and belonging to the ANC, “mayibuye i-afrika”
(line 21) stand out.
These liberation slogans of the PAC and the ANC that strike the reader give
emphasis to the theme of the split between the PAC and the ANC in their
struggle for political liberation.
THEMES OF THE POEM BUYILE
One theme is the division between the liberation movements, the ANC
and the PAC, within the struggle against Apartheid and white
domination.
Another theme is the cruelty and the utter disrespect of humanity of
the other side within the liberation struggle.
A further theme: The fact that the ama-comrade, who were ANC
sympathizers, did not only necklace and kill the PAC sympathizer, but
also burnt the corpse and the coffin, shows the desire for the complete
eradication of the PAC.
By implication, because the PAC stood for black solidarity (blacks
standing together for a black cause) as opposed to multi-racialism as
advocated by the ANC, the murder of a PAC sympathizer meant the
nullification of blackness (black hegemony – black dominance).
THEMES OF THE POEM BUYILE
The presence of the police at both events, namely the burial of the PAC
sympathizer and the burning of the corpse and coffin by the ANC-
affiliated ama-comrade, thematically emphasizes the double bind in
which the police found themselves during the struggle against
Apartheid. The police were responsible for law enforcement of the
Apartheid regime. If they were black policemen, in their hearts they
might have been in sympathy with the PAC or in sympathy with the
ANC.
MATTERS TO THINK ABOUT ARISING FROM
THE POEM BUYILE / MATTERS FOR DEBATE
- Was the ANC the sole architect of South Africa’s liberation from
Apartheid?
- During the struggle against Apartheid, was the ANC’s significant
objective to serve the broad masses of the people of South Africa
rather than serving themselves?
- Have conditions improved for the broad masses of the people in
South Africa who are not embedded in power structures?
FURTHER READING: A BOOK REVIEW BY
UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO ENGLISH LECTURER,
MR. VONANI BILA, ABOUT AYANDA BILLIE’S
POETRY IN THE POETRY ANTHOLOGY
KWA NOBUHLE OVERCAST

https://johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2020/03/05/poetry-of-social-
obliteration-and-intimacy-vonani-bila-reviews-kwanobuhle-overcast-
the-new-collection-by-award-winning-poet-ayanda-billie/