Join Penguin Random House at the launch of Under Smuts’s Rule: Jan Smuts and His Impact on Black South Africans by prize-winning author Bongani Ngqulunga!

In his new book, Ngqulunga examines how Smuts’s political life affected black South Africans. Analysing letters, speeches and other documents, the book unpacks Smuts’s thinking and how it affected his approach to the franchise, segregation and suppression of dissent.

Tracing the currents in black politics, it presents the views of African leaders on Smuts and his policies – figures such as Sol Plaatje, DDT Jabavu, ZK Matthews, AB Xuma and, later on, Albert Luthuli and Nelson Mandela.

The book demonstrates how Smuts evolved in his views, eventually coming to recognise that segregation had failed. But the reforms he introduced in the 1940s were too little, too late, and were swept away by the National Party and its policy of apartheid.

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.

A vital contribution to our understanding of 20th-century South Africa and the legacies we still reckon with today!

Event details

Date: Wednesday 3 December 2025
Time: 18:00 for 18:30
Venue: Exclusive Books Rosebank, Joburg
RSVP: Exclusive Books website
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Categories Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags Bongani Ngqulunga Book events Book launches Exclusive Books Johannesburg Penguin Random House SA Under Smuts's Rule