Jan Smuts and His Impact on Black South Africans
By Bongani Ngqulunga
Jan Smuts is revered by some as a national and international statesman. However, others condemn him as an architect of segregation.
In his new book, prize-winning author Bongani Ngqulunga examines how Smuts’s political life affected black South Africans. This work provides a nuanced exploration of his complex legacy.
Under Smuts’s Rule considers Smuts’s role in the treaty ending the Anglo-Boer War and in creating the Union of South Africa. It explores how these events influenced the rights of black people.
The approach to the ‘Native question’
Ngqulunga tracks Smuts’s approach to the ‘Native question’ as a minister under Louis Botha, as prime minister from 1919 to 1924 and from 1939 to 1948, and in opposition to and then fusion with J.B.M. Hertzog’s National Party. These chapters illustrate key moments under Smuts’s Rule.
Analysing letters, speeches and other documents, the book unpacks Smuts’s thinking. It shows how his ideas shaped his approach to the franchise, segregation and suppression of dissent. The book traces the currents in black politics and presents the views of African leaders on Smuts and his policies.
Figures such as Sol Plaatje, D.D.T. Jabavu, Z.K. Matthews, A.B. Xuma and later Albert Luthuli and Nelson Mandela offer insight into the era under Smuts’s Rule.
The book demonstrates how Smuts evolved in his views. Eventually, he recognised that segregation had failed. However, the reforms he introduced in the 1940s were too little, too late. They were swiftly overturned by the National Party and its apartheid policies. This context highlights the limitations of his legacy under Smuts’s Rule.
Giving a balanced view that is both respectful and critical, Under Smuts’s Rule is a vital addition to the literature on Smuts and to South African history.
About the author
Bongani Ngqulunga is an associate professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
Previously, he served as the director of the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JIAS), also at UJ. He directs the African Biographies Project, which brings together scholars and writers researching and writing biographies of figures from the African continent.
Ngqulunga’s scholarship focuses on South African politics and history. He authored the multiple prize-winning book The Man Who Founded the ANC: A Biography of Pixley ka Isaka Seme (Penguin, 2017) and co-edited Reappraising the Life and Legacy of Jan C. Smuts (UJ Press, 2024). He earned his doctoral degree from Brown University in the USA.
- PUBLISHER | Penguin Random House SA |
- ISBN | 9781776391998 |
- Recommended Retail Price | R380.00 |
- Classification | History |
