Her poems are drawn from situations of contemporary South African life and are filled with topical and familiar references. Makhosazana Xaba’s poetry has been translated into Mandarin and Italian and published in China and Italy. Her first critically acclaimed story, Running, won the Deon Hofmeyr Award for Creative Writing in 2005. She is currently working on a biography of South African Writer and Journalist Noni Jabavu. Xaba is also a trained nurse and has worked as a women's health specialist.