They were established and sponsored by M-Net (Electronic Media Network), a South African television station.
[2] In subsequent years there were six language categories, covering all eleven official South African languages: English; Afrikaans; Nguni (Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, and Swati); SeSotho (Sotho, Pedi, and Tswana); TshiVenda; and SeTsonga.
[3] Three Lifetime Achievements Awards were also given: to Mazisi Kunene (2005), Cynthia Marivate (2006), and Mzilikazi Khumalo (2007).
In their early years, the M-Net Awards were notable among South African literary awards for considering, under their judging criteria, not only literary merit but also "strong narrative content" and "accessibility to a broad reading public.
"[4][5] They were also, in the 1990s, the best remunerated literary awards in South Africa.