(born 1950), South African poet of Zulu heritage. He graduated from the University of Natal and studied Zulu literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Kunene headed the African Studies program at University College of Lesotho (1958–62) and held other academic positions outside South Africa. He represented the African National Congress in Europe and the United States. His works include ‘Zulu Poems' (1970), ‘The Ancestors and the Sacred Mountain' (1982), and the epics ‘Emperor Shaka the Great' (1979) and ‘Anthem of the Decades' (1981)