Repetition as a Moral Device in Tshivenḓa Poetry: A Literary Analysis of Vhuthu vhu ri ita vhathu (Kindness makes us human) by Tshindane, TG (2022).

The article analyzes how repetition functions as a moral device in Tshindane TG's 2022 Tshivenḓa poem *Vhuthu vhu ri ita vhathu* ("Kindness makes us human"), which critiques moral decline in contemporary Venḓa society through the lens of the Ubuntu value system. Employing moral criticism and literary stylistics within a qualitative interpretative framework, the study demonstrates that the poem's repeated invocation of *vhuthu* (kindness) links social ills such as violence and injustice to the erosion of communal ethics, while also affirming kindness as a restorative force essential for social harmony and spiritual renewal. The poem's structure uses repetition to universalize its moral argument, moving from lamentation of ethical decay to a hopeful, prayerful appeal for divine intervention in moral regeneration. The study highlights the significance of Tshivenḓa poetry as a culturally embedded medium for ethical reflection and suggests its integration into educational and community contexts to foster moral consciousness and social cohesion.