E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (EHASS) - Volume 6 Issue 6 2025 - A Sociological Perspective on Drug Mishandling in Contemporary Sesotho Literature, an Analysis of Brian Makara’s Poem ‘Sethethefatsi’

Sep 18, 2026

This study examines the social representation of drug abuse in Brian Makara’s poem “Sethethefatsi.” The article links the growing prevalence of drug abuse among South African township youth to the need for multi-level intervention strategies. Using a desktop qualitative approach and the sociology of literature, it argues poetry reflects society through social commentary and collective consciousness. Findings show drugs are personified as an “individual” with harmful intent and as a product of actors undermining societal values. The study highlights that contemporary Sesotho literature critically addresses challenges requiring political and policy responses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Literature and Society

E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (EHASS) ISSN – Online 2720-7722 | Print 2821-8949 Volume 6 Issue 6 2025 pp 923-932 Available online at: [https://noyam.org/journals/ehass/](https://noyam.org/journals/ehass/) DOI: [https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256620](https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256620) A Sociological Perspective on Drug Mishandling in Contemporary Sesotho Literature: An Analysis of Brian Makara’s Poem ‘Sethethefatsi’ Soyiso Khetoa 1 1 Department of African Languages, School of Literature, Language and Media, University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. ABSTRACT This study examines the social representation of drug abuse in Brian Makara’s poem“Sethethefatsi.” The prevalence of drug abuse among South African township youth has increased dramatically. This has resulted in the development of diverse intervention techniques at multiple levels across the country. In response to the drug endemic, literary writers like Makara use their art to raise awareness of this pervasive issue. This study argues that poetry serves as a valuable medium for exploring social phenomena because literature often reflects societal experiences. This study is underpinned by the theory of the sociology of literature, which views poetry as a reflection of society, social commentary, and the expression of a collective’s consciousness. This research adopts a desktop qualitative research approach to analyse how drugs are represented in Makara’s poem. The findings reveal that Makara personifies drugs for two reasons: (a) to portray drugs as an“individual” with harmful intentions infiltrating society; and (b) to depict drugs asa product of those who undermine societal values, whose intention is to obstruct societal development and sustainability. The study demonstrates that literary texts are valuable sources that engage with societal issues. Furthermore, the study signals that the contemporary Sesotho literature critically examines societal challenges that warrant political and policy interventions. Keywords: Drugs, Literature, Sociology, African Literature Correspondence Soyiso Khetoa Email: [soyiso.khetoa@wits.ac.za](soyiso.khetoa@wits.ac.za) Publication History Received: 8th January, 2025 Accepted: 30th April, 2025 Published: 23rd May, 2025 INTRODUCTION This study was conceived after realising that South African youth have been ravaged by excessive drug intake. The ramifications of excessive intake of drugs (licensed or unlicensed) have had undesired effects on society and have undermined family structures. To mitigate this undesired reality, literary projects such as poems are devised as a strategy to facilitate consciousness among locals about the undesired repercussions of unsupervised or excessive drug intake. Poems, like any other literary text, play an important role in reporting social experiences that affect communities. In this study, the researcher proposes that analysing the sociological representation of drugs and drug use in literary texts might be effective in bringing about societal awareness of the phenomena. Literature encompasses the author’s explanations about social objects and explains how these objects promote the collapse of social order. For this reason, the researcher believes that literature has a role in shaping society. Mitravinda alludes that “at the point when we read literature, we find normal human methods of getting a life”.1 Mitravinda 1 Kakarla Sai Mitravinda,“Literature and Its Role in Shaping the Society,” 2020. © 2025 The Author(s) . Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license ( [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)) . Khetoa, S. / E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Vol. 6 No.6 (2025) pp.923-932 further explicates that in reading literary works we figure out how unique others are in condition and ways

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study?

The study focuses on how drug abuse and drug mishandling are represented in Brian Makara’s poem “Sethethefatsi.” It analyzes how literature reflects social experiences and societal challenges.

Which research theory and approach does the study use?

The study is underpinned by the theory of the sociology of literature and adopts a desktop qualitative research approach to analyze the representation of drugs in the poem.

How does the study explain Makara’s personification of drugs?

Makara personifies drugs for two reasons: to portray them as an “individual” with harmful intentions infiltrating society, and to depict them as a product of those who undermine societal values and obstruct development.

Sep 18, 2026

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