South African Writer And Poet Diana Ferrus Has Passed Away

South African writer and poet Diana Ferrus passed away in South Africa on Friday, January 30, 2026, at the age of 72.

Born in Worcester, Western Cape, on August 29, 1953, Ferrus was of mixed Khoisan and slave ancestry. She matriculated from Esselen Park High School in 1972 and began studies at the University of the Western Cape in 1973. She later worked there as an administrator while leading writing workshops in Cape Town, writing in both English and Afrikaans.

In 1998, she received a fellowship to study at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where she wrote the poem I’ve Come to Take You Home dedicated to Sarah Baartman, a South African woman taken to Europe under false pretenses and paraded as a curiosity. That poem played a pivotal role in the repatriation of Baartman’s remains. Her other works included Die vrede kom later (2019) and a collection of stories about fathers and daughters, Slaan vir my ‘n masker, Vader (2006).

She was a founder of the Afrikaans Skrywersvereniging (ASV), Bush Poets, and Women in Xchains and had a publishing company called Diana Ferrus Publishers.

In 2012, Diana received the inaugural Mbokodo Award for poetry. She has also received an award from the Western Cape Provincial Government for her work with women.

In 2008, the Klein Karoo Kunstefees also awarded her for her contribution to the development of Afrikaans.

In 2020, she received the Freedom of the Town award from the Breede Valley Municipality together with 11 other prominent Worcesterians.

In 2022, the University of Stellenbosch bestowed an honorary doctorate on her. Other awards include The Legends Award by Kyknet, a lifetime achievement award by SBA (Stigting vir Bemagtiging deur Afrikaans), and a Prestige Award by the ATKV.

In the last decade, Ferrus has played a pivotal role in mentoring and platforming the next generation of especially women poets. She died on January 30, 2026, at the age of 72.