In this article, Chris Thurman explores how contemporary South African novels (especially dystopian ones) use allegory to reflect on the country’s historical transition from apartheid to democracy. He argues that these literary works create “elsewhere” — fictional or dystopian spaces — which metaphorically comment on South Africa’s “before” (apartheid) and “after” (post-apartheid) phases. By analysing how allegory functions in relation to time and place, Thurman shows how writers negotiate political memory, social change, and national identity in the post-transitional era.