Given its propensity to foster social awareness, literature can function as a tool for developing critical citizenship, particularly in schools. This article critically analyzes John Kani's "Nothing but the Truth", a text prescribed in South African high schools, in terms of whether it presents any issues that could be drawn upon to foster critical citizenship among learners. South Africa's revised curriculum, known as the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), aims to equip learners with skills and values necessary for meaningful participation in society. However, the question that begs for answers in this article is to what extent can John Kani's "Nothing but the Truth" be used as a tool for teaching and developing critical citizenship. The notion of critical citizenship is a benchmark against which the authors seek to identify and evaluate societal issues raised in the text that they can appropriate to develop critical citizenship among learners. Situated in the context of debates on the effectiveness of CAPS and the whole education system in South Africa, this article interrogates" Nothing but the Truth" as a prescribed text against the aims and objectives of CAPS.