In this book, the authors cover both familiar and unfamiliar themes. One of the principal themes running throughout the book addresses head-on the deficiency in the literature highlighted by Saul Dubow, namely, the question of racism and Smuts’s reluctance to implement ‘native’ policies that may have averted future problems, rather than postpone them. We see throughout, a gap between the rhetoric and policy, and between policy and practice in its implementation. Amongst the familiar themes that are reappraised, are Smuts’s successes and failures in policies and leadership, domestically and internationally. ‘This wide-ranging volume re-evaluates myriad aspects of Smuts’ life, philosophy, political career and legacy. An important and timely book exploring one of South Africa’s most consequential and controversial leaders.’ Luc-Andre Brunet – Contemporary International History, The Open University. The book is a great contribution to South African cultural and social history. With the military element covered in other publications, the editors and authors have focussed on the less well-trodden aspects of Smuts’s history including but not limited to discussions on the atomic bomb, counter-revolution, film, early cabinets, racialism, trusteeship, ‘greatness’, political philosophy, racial segregation, and myth-making. The editors have skilfully continued the longer political discussion, reflecting on the myth and legacy of a prominent South African - Smuts. Antonio Garcia, Stellenbosch University, coauthor of Botha, Smuts and the First World War, co-founder Underground Strategy.

Like Paul Kruger at the end of the nineteenth century, and Nelson Mandela as the twentieth century drew to a close, it was Jan Smuts who stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries in the first half of the twentieth century; he was a leader of extraordinary stature and his statesmanship is recognised internationally. Many of the biographies and other works on Smuts appeared during his lifetime or soon after his death. Today, a few generations later, we have a better perspective on his contributions within the historical context of his time.

This book begins with a simple observation: none of South Africa’s presidents since Nelson Mandela have held any ministerial portfolios. This is in contrast to the nine men who ruled the country during its Union and Apartheid eras (1910-1994), from Louis Botha to F.W. de Klerk. They had all had previously served in cabinet, in as many as 6 portfolios each, sometimes with more than one ministry under their control. Crucially, many often took up ministerial positions during their own premierships and presidencies, thereby leading from the front. This is the key difference in state performance between the pre-democratic and democratic periods, the book argues. It explains the shortcomings of the post-1994 order, despite the evident potential, legitimacy and aspirations attached to it. In this book, Ndzendze systematically argues and empirically demonstrates that the only method to close this gap is by (re)initiating double roles for sitting presidents in all future administrations: those who head the cabinet should be both ministers and presidents at the same time. This would be constitutional, feasible and guarantee transparency towards presidential performance. Bhaso Ndzendze is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg. He is also Vice-Dean in the Faculty of Humanities, and was previously Head of Department for Politics and International Relations at the same institution. His NRF-rated research focus area is sovereignty, and has seen scientific publications on executive power, territorial disputes, interstate wars, military technology and international trade. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand and a postgraduate diploma in Law from the University of Johannesburg. Ndzendze is also a member of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution and has a regular column in the Daily Maverick.

"For any region, understanding historical botanical exploration, plant collection, and preserved specimens is critically important for research and conservation. In this book, Estrela Figueiredo and Gideon F. Smith, both botanists with expertise on the taxonomy of African plants, provide the first thorough and comprehensive account of plant collecting in Angola, a large country in south-tropical Africa. An essential book for anyone concerned with the biodiversity and history of Africa, this authoritative work offers insights on the lives, times, and endeavors of 358 collectors. In addition, the authors present analyses of the records that accompanied the collectors' preserved specimens. Illustrated in color throughout, the result fills a serious void in the current knowledge of the botanical and exploration history of Africa"--

Borstelmann (history, Cornell U.) brings to light the neglected history of Washington's strong, but hushed, backing for the white supremacist National Party government that won power in South Africa in 1948, and for its formal establishment of apartheid. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

An updated and comprehensive single-volume history covering all periods from human origins to contemporary African situations.

“A book about a person well in advance of Humanity of his time. Written in a way that open up a very complicated subject to the ordinary person. The book shows that this was a person that cared about others but was misunderstood by many in his country due to politics and not understanding spirituality. Smuts pointed out that spirituality was necessary in a persons self development to be able to play a meaningful role in society.”

From Defence to Development: Redirecting military resources in South Africa

Here is the first volume of a magisterial biography of Mohandas Gandhi that gives us the most illuminating portrait we have had of the life, the work and the historical context of one of the most abidingly influential—and controversial—men in modern history. Ramachandra Guha—hailed by Time as “Indian democracy’s preeminent chronicler”—takes us from Gandhi’s birth in 1869 through his upbringing in Gujarat, his two years as a student in London and his two decades as a lawyer and community organizer in South Africa. Guha has uncovered myriad previously untapped documents, including private papers of Gandhi’s contemporaries and co-workers; contemporary newspapers and court documents; the writings of Gandhi’s children; and secret files kept by British Empire functionaries. Using this wealth of material in an exuberant, brilliantly nuanced and detailed narrative, Guha describes the social, political and personal worlds inside of which Gandhi began the journey that would earn him the honorific Mahatma: “Great Soul.” And, more clearly than ever before, he elucidates how Gandhi’s work in South Africa—far from being a mere prelude to his accomplishments in India—was profoundly influential in his evolution as a family man, political thinker, social reformer and, ultimately, beloved leader. In 1893, when Gandhi set sail for South Africa, he was a twenty-three-year-old lawyer who had failed to establish himself in India. In this remarkable biography, the author makes clear the fundamental ways in which Gandhi’s ideas were shaped before his return to India in 1915. It was during his years in England and South Africa, Guha shows us, that Gandhi came to understand the nature of imperialism and racism; and in South Africa that he forged the philosophy and techniques that would undermine and eventually overthrow the British Raj. Gandhi Before India gives us equally vivid portraits of the man and the world he lived in: a world of sharp contrasts among the coastal culture of his birthplace, High Victorian London, and colonial South Africa. It explores in abundant detail Gandhi’s experiments with dissident cults such as the Tolstoyans; his friendships with radical Jews, heterodox Christians and devout Muslims; his enmities and rivalries; and his often overlooked failures as a husband and father. It tells the dramatic, profoundly moving story of how Gandhi inspired the devotion of thousands of followers in South Africa as he mobilized a cross-class and inter-religious coalition, pledged to non-violence in their battle against a brutally racist regime. Researched with unequaled depth and breadth, and written with extraordinary grace and clarity, Gandhi Before India is, on every level, fully commensurate with its subject. It will radically alter our understanding and appreciation of twentieth-century India’s greatest man.

"We in South Africa needed the support of the international community in our efforts to end the vicious system of racial oppression called apartheid. We had to have eloquent advocates to tell the world our story and persuade it to come to our assistance. . . . We had none more articulate and with all the credibility and integrity so indispensable than Dennis Brutus to plead our cause. He was quite outstanding, and we South Africans owe an immense debt of gratitude."--Archbishop Desmond Tutu "Dennis Brutus stands as a tribune of the dispossessed. His willingness to speak out on all cases of injustice and side with the oppressed makes him the type of person we all wish to emulate. His perseverance, dedication, and eloquence have made him not only a hero for the South African freedom struggle, but for all those who struggle for social justice."--Bill Fletcher, TransAfrica Forum This vital original collection of interviews, poetry, and essays of the much-loved anti-apartheid leader is the first book of its kind to bring together the full, forceful range of his work. Brutus, imprisoned along with Nelson Mandela, is known worldwide for his unparalleled eloquence as an opponent of the apartheid South African regime. Since its fall, he has been a voice for justice and humanity, speaking and writing extensively on issues of debt, poverty, war, racism, and neoliberalism. Dennis Brutus is a lifelong human rights activist and poet. He was imprisoned with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island in South Africa and became an eloquent spokesperson for the anti-apartheid movement. He currently teaches African studies and literature at the University of Pittsburgh. Lee Sustar has written extensively on the global justice and labor movements for numerous publications. He is a member of the National Writers Union and lives in Chicago, Illinois.