Under Smuts Rule: Jan Smuts and His Impact on Black South Africans

Jan Smuts is one of the most complex figures in South African history—revered by some as a national and international statesman, condemned by others as an architect of segregation.
In Under Smuts's Rule, prize-winning author Bongani Ngqulunga examines Smuts's political life through the lens of how his decisions affected black South Africans. From his role in the treaty ending the Anglo-Boer War and the National Convention that created the Union of South Africa, to his years as prime minister (1919-1924 and 1939-1948), Ngqulunga traces Smuts's actions and their consequences.
The book considers his policies as a minister under Louis Botha, his complicated relationship with Barry Hertzog's National Party, and his eventual recognition that segregation had failed. Drawing on perspectives from influential figures such as Sol Plaatje, Alfred Xuma, John Dube, D.D.T. Jabavu, Z.K. Matthews, Nelson Mandela, and Walter Sisulu, Ngqulunga offers a balanced view—respectful yet critical.
Insightful and rigorously researched, this work reveals how Smuts's reforms of the 1940s came too late, swept aside by the National Party and its entrenched policy of apartheid. A vital addition to South African history, Under Smuts's Rule challenges readers to confront the contradictions of a leader who shaped a nation's path.