Born Freeloaders

A captivating tale of privilege, identity, and the bitter fruits of freedom in post-apartheid South Africa.

Born on the cusp of democracy, the crew of young friends in Born Freeloaders navigates a life of drinking, wild parties and reckless abandon. Nthabiseng and Xolani, siblings raised in an upper middle-class family with political elite connections, find themselves grappling with identity and acceptance in a fractured society. As Nthabiseng whimsically goes through life, unable to pick a side in the classifications of race, Xolani longs for approval from an uncle who sees their generation as the consequence of a hard-fought freedom.

Set over a weekend in the nation's capital, Born Freeloaders captures a pivotal political and cultural moment in the city's and South Africa's history, deftly interweaving an analogous tale of the country's colonization and its repercussions. Amidst their uneasy awareness of privilege, the friends confront the discomfort of being unable to change the world they inherited. Winner of the K. Sello Duiker Memorial Award in 2020, Phumlani Pikoli's compelling debut novel offers a thought-provoking exploration of a generation born into a complex legacy.