Two New Groundbreaking Dictionaries of South Africa’s indigenous languages.

Dr. Max Marhanele Helps Preserve Xitsonga with New Dictionaries

In Limpopo, South Africa, Dr. Max Marhanele is working hard to protect the Xitsonga language. A former teacher and examiner, he noticed a serious need for better Xitsonga language resources. To help fix this, he created two important dictionaries of South Africa’s indigenous languages.

The first, Tihlu’ngu’ ta rixaka, is a monolingual Xitsonga dictionary. He released it in 2016. It explains words using only the Xitsonga language, without translating them into English or other languages.

In April 2025, Dr. Marhanele released his second book, Xilamulela-mhangu, which means “The Rescuer.” This dictionary helps people translate words from English into Xitsonga. He created it to make learning and teaching Xitsonga easier.

“People should take pride in speaking and writing their language,” he said. “It’s sad to see Xitsonga teachers struggle to explain certain words. These books are here to help.”

Dr. Marhanele worked closely with Freddy Bila, the founder of Timbila Publishing. Bila supported the project from start to finish. Thanks to their teamwork, both dictionaries are now helping students and teachers across the region.

So far, readers have given great feedback. Many say the books helped them better understand their own language.

In addition to writing dictionaries, Dr. Marhanele has published 15 books and co-authored 25 more. Schools and universities use many of his titles in their Xitsonga programs.

He has also helped young writers like James Magayisa and Dr. Freddy Rikhotso. “Seeing my students succeed makes me happy,” he said.

In 2023, Tshwane University of Technology awarded him an honorary doctorate for his work to preserve Xitsonga.

This inspiring story connects deeply with The Dictionary Project. Like Dr. Marhanele, we believe every child should have access to a dictionary. Whether in English or Xitsonga, a dictionary builds pride, literacy, and opportunity.