Pieter Scholtz

Emeritus Professor Pieter Scholtz headed the Department of Speech and Drama at the University of Natal in Durban (South Africa) for more than 20 years (1973–1995). During this time he wrote and published 17 plays for young audiences in a series entitled Plays for Young Africa. Productions of these plays were presented in the Open-Air theatre each year for six-monthly seasons. On his retirement in 1995, the theatre was officially named the Pieter Scholtz Open-air Theatre.

He received many awards for his playwriting and his productions, including the Amstel Playwright of the Year award on two occasions for two of the plays in his TAMBOOTIE series. Two of his books were published by Struik Publishers (Tales of the Tokoloshe and Demon of the Curry Powders).

One of the highlights of a busy and turbulent life in the theatre was his production of UMABATHA (the Zulu Macbeth) which was first presented in the Open-air theatre (1969) and subsequently at the World Theatre Season in London in 1972, with Welcome Msomi in the title role. The production played to capacity houses and great acclaim at the Aldwych theatre.

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Since 2007 he has been writing and publishing plays, novels and collections of poetry under his own imprint: Horus Publications.