January 2024 marks 75 years since The Watchtower was first published in the Zulu language. Starting in 1949, copies of The Watchtower in Zulu were printed in the South Africa branch on a hand-operated duplicating machine. Eventually, the branch obtained a sheetfed printing press, resulting in increased production and higher-quality magazines.

A significant challenge early on was finding appropriate lodging for the Zulu translation team. Apartheid laws in South Africa prevented blacks and whites from residing in the same building. Black Zulu translators were forced to live in facilities outside of Bethel. This often resulted in extended travel time, added expenses, and other inconveniences. For example, at one point, 20 translators shared one room in a hostel. Brother Alfred Phatswana was among those who endured these challenging circumstances for two years, beginning in 1981. Today, as a member of the South Africa Branch Committee, he recalls: “Conditions in the hostel weren’t always ideal. However, we were glad to have accommodations that allowed us to support the translation work. Additionally, making every effort to keep our living quarters as clean as possible often led to a good witness.”

Happily, our brothers and sisters in South Africa can now work and reside together in a comfortable remote translation office in Durban, South Africa. Currently, more than 28,000 publishers in 584 Zulu-speaking congregations continue to benefit from having The Watchtower and other Bible literature available in their own language.

We rejoice as Jehovah continues to bless the work of those translating The Watchtower and other Bible literature into Zulu so that many more can “take life’s water free.”—Revelation 22:17.