History Books

"When Rustling Became an Art" tells the story of a father, son and grandson who led the Kgatla people to political and military prominence in the western Transvaal and eastern Bechuanaland during the 19th century. This is a story of shrewd risk-takers perpetrating calculated violence, fit for the times. For Boers and Africans alike, good enterprises were measured in cattle, and the Kgatla under Pilane and his two successors, Kgamanyane and Linchwe, were uncommonly good at acquiring cattle.

This is also the first detailed narrative of early-to-late western Transvaal history involving resident Boer and African communities, along with missionary activity, the relations between the South African Republic and its western border, and the complex movement of African groups into and out of the western Transvaal between 1860 and 1900. It provides a revisionist perspective of Paul Kruger, detailing his land speculation, slave raiding, collaborative dealings with Africans, and his political and religious struggles within the Boer community of Rustenburg District.

In 1889 Deneys Reitz, then aged seventeen, enlisted in the Boer army to fight the British. He had learnt to ride, shoot and swim almost as soon as he could walk. When he fought as a member of several Boer commandos, he made full use of these skills and the endurance he acquired during the war.

He was involved in major actions, such as the Battle of Spion Kop, and he interacted with prominent political and military figures of the time, such as President Paul Kruger, Boer generals Piet Joubert, Louis Botha, Koos de la Rey, Christiaan Beyers, Jan Smuts and British commander Lord Kitchener.

Reitz forged a strong personal and political friendship with Smuts after the war, one built on reciprocal respect.


"Commando" is more than a historical document. With prose that captures both the brutality and the beauty of war, Reitz weaves a narrative that resonates with authenticity, transcending time.

As relevant today as when it was first penned, "Commando" has become a South African classic and is testament to the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity.

Mother. Nurse. Gold-digger. Cause célèbre. When Daisy de Melker stood trial in 1932, accused if poisoning her son and two husbands, the public couldn't get enough of her. Crowds gathered outside court baying for blood and she waved to them like a celebrity.

Against the backdrop of Johannesburg in its golden age, a booming metropolis op opulence and chaos nicknamed the 'City of Gold' and the 'University of Crime', she had quietly gone about her sinister business while around her sensational crimes grabbed the headlines. There was the marauding Foster Gang, which left at least ten people dead; a dashing German hustler; a local Bonnie and Clyde; an innocent student walking Zoo Lake park at the wrong time and a man who escaped death row to become one of South Africa's most revered authors. These interlinking stories are told in the style of a thriller and with riveting, kaleidoscopic detail.

In "Daisy de Melker", Ted Botha weaves together a fantastic cast of killers and con men, detectives and lawmen, journalists and authors - even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Herman Charles Bosman - to depict a grand and desperate city. For almost twenty years Daisy hid in the shadows but when someone finally spoke up about the suspicious deaths around her, it led to a trial like nothing the City of Gold had ever seen and spread her name across the world.

Favouring manoeuvre over attrition and often punching above their weight, South African soldiers have become known for their tenacity, dash and ability to defy the odds. Their unique directive command style has also helped them to excel in defining battles and operations, from the campaign in German South West Africa in 1915 to the cross-border operations in Angola during the Border War.

In "20 Battles", military historians Evert Kleyhans and David Brock Katz investigate the evolution of South Africa's armed forces over a century from 1913 to 2013. They track the evolution of the doctrine and structure of the defence force, uncovering historical continuity and the lessons learned from past battles and operations.

What is clear is that when South African soldiers have the freedom to operate according to their manoeuvre doctrine, as they had in East Africa in 1916 and southern Ethiopia in 1941, they can achieve stunning results. But when hemmed in by rigid doctrine and a top-down command style, as at Delville Wood in 1916 and Tobruk om 1942, the results can be tragic.

"20 Battles" combines both battlefield drama and crisp analysis and in the process provides a much-needed perspective on the South African way of war.

Through the institution of the Zulu monarchy, the distinguished historian John Laband has written a riveting account of the whole sweep of Zulu history. Shaka, Africa's most famous warrior-king, was the formidable, conquering founder of the Zulu kingdom. Two hundred years later, Goodwill Zwelithini, the current king, is a constitutional monarch with only informal political influence.

Beginning with the reign of Shaka, the book follows his successors - Dingane, Mpande and Cetshwayo - tracking their drive to power through assassination and civil war, and charting their resistance to colonialism. Although defeated in war, Cetshwayo and his heir, Dinzulu, struggled to retain something of their kingly authority during the brutal transition to full colonial control. Laband descibes how, in the oppressive century of colonial and apartheid rule, their successors - Solomon and Cyprian - strove to have their abolished royal status restored, and how Goodwill Zwelithini finally achieved this goal when the post-apartheid government recognised his royal rank once more.

"The Eight Zulu Kings" also places the Zulu kings in the context of other African monarchs and discusses their shared royal traditions and their common challenges. By bringing the personalities of the Zulu kings into focus, the book assesses how effectively, within the possibilities of his own era, each ruler dealt with the opportunities and threats of his reign.

Daar word bitsig na hulle as die "Stellenbosch Mafia" verwys en baie reken die klub van miljardêrs wat in en om dié Bolandse dorp woon, is die ergste voorbeeld van witmonopolitiekapitaal. Hul kritici kla oor hul invloed op die staat en die ekonomie, maar wie is hierdie groep ongelooflike ryk Afrikaanssprekende individue en hoeveel mag het hulle werklik?

Die skrywer en joernalis Pieter du Toit het ondersoek gaan instel op Stellenbosch, een van die welvarendste dorpe in die land, wat deur talle as 'n hoeksteen van die Afrikanerdom beskryf word. Hierdie dorp is immers die geboorteplek van talle Afrikanerintellektuele, politieke leiers, asook vele sakemanne en hul sakeryke.

Du Toit kyk krities na hierdie klub van miljardêrs: Wie is hulle en belangriker nog, hoe is hulle onderling verbind? Watter netwerke het ontstaan danksy gedeelde direksies, alliansies en familieverbintenisse? Hy bied 'n intieme blik op Johann Rupert se sakeryk en beskryf ook die opkoms van Markus Jooste en die impak wat die Steinhoff-skandaal op Stellenbosch gehad het.

Gedurende die Grensoorlog het die Spesiale Magte se 4 Verkenningsregiment tientalle klandestiene seewaartse operasies op vaartuie van die Suid-Afrikaanse Vloot uitgevoer. Van Cabinda in Angola tot Dar es Salaam in Tanzanië het hulle strategiese teikens soos oliedepots, vervoerinfrastraktuur en selfs Russiese skepe aangeval. Die bestaan van 4 Recce is grootliks geheim gehou, selfs binne die Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag.

"Ystervuis uit die see" beskryf 50 operasies deur 4 Recce, ander Spesmagte-eenhede en die SA Vloot. Daaronder tel Operasie Kerlig (1981), waarin 'n operateur getref en ander beseer is in 'n aanval op 'n olieraffinadery in Luanda, en Operasie Argon (1985) toe kaptein Wynand du Toit in Angola gevange geneem is.

Die skrywers, wat self aan etlike van die operasies deelgeneem het, het ook toegang gekry tot uiters geheime dokumente wat intussen gedeklassifiseer is. Hul dramatiese vertellings wys hoe veelsydig en doeltreffend hierdie eilte-eenheid was.

Dié omvattende boek is 'n moet vir enigeen met 'n belangstelleng in die Spesmagte. Dit neem jou na die hart van die aksie, die adrenalien en vrees van seewaartse operasies.

Op 10 Junie 1980 gedurende 'n dag van bloedige gevegte onder die Angolese son is 13 lede van die Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag dood en etlike beseer toe 61 Gemeganiseerde Bataljon Groep Swapo-basisse as deel van Operasie Sceptic aangeval het.

Tweede luitenant Paul Louw het sy peleton in vier Ratels na die doelwit Smokeshell gelei. In die chaos wat gevolg het, is 12 dienspligtiges in sy peleton van 44 noodlottig gewond eb hy is self ook beseer. Een van sy troepe, die 18-jarige HP Ferreira, is met 'n 14,5 mm-masjiengeweer deur sy pelvis geskiet. Hy het wonderbaarlik oorleef.

Louw, nog met die bloed van sy manne aan sy klere, en 'n handjievol ander soldate het die aand deurgebring in 'n Ratel wat deur 'n RPG-vuurpyl getref is. Hulle was heeltemal afgesny van die res van die aanvalsgroep en het nie geweet of hulle die son sou sien opkom nie.

In "Bloedbroers" deel van die oorlewendes hul ervarings tydens die geveg by Smokeshell. Dit werp ook lig op wat met soldate gebeur nadat die laaste skote afgevuur is en volg die veterane toe hulle vier dekades na die operasie vir die eerste keer na die slagveld teruggekeer het.

Met "Hoeksteen - Die verhaal van Rosh Pinah en sy kinders" word die ontstaansgeskiedenis van dié unieke myndorpie in die woestynlandskap binne die breër konteks van die historiese ontknoping van Namibië se staatkundige bedeling geskets.

Met herinneringe soos dié word 'n bepaalde tydperk uit die verlede voor die gees geroep. Die herinneringe gee insig ten opsigte van die herkoms en kultuur van die inwoners en hulle bydra tot die leefbaarmaking van hulle streek.

Dennis J. Alchin onthul en boekstaaf geskiedkundige gebeure wat nie alombekend is nie in 'n lekkerlees boek. Só skep hy'n kosbare erfstuk vir diegene wat deel was van die ontwikkelinge, asook 'n rigtingwyser vir dié wat nog kom en op die hoeksteen wat reeds gelê is, moet voortbou.

Expert battlefields guide Nicki von der Heyde presents 71 battles covering three wars and a series of conflicts that shaped the course of South Africa's history - from the colonial clashes that characterised the 18th and 19th centuries to the 2nd Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902.

Informative and lively accounts of the engagements are provided, with special attention given to the context, action, outcomes and principal combatants involved. Arranged in provincial and regional order, the "Field Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa" includes an array of special features that allow for an enthralling and multi-layered account of the battles:
• 580 historical and modern photographs and illustrations
• 80 illustrated timelines
• 60 fact and feature boxes
• 16 customised, annotated battle maps
• 10 regional locator maps
• Detailed directions to each site
• GPS co-ordinates for inaccessible locations

Comprehensive, compelling and vividly illustrated, the "Field Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa" is an indispensable tool for professional and amateur military historians as well as anyone interested in exploring South Africa's fascinating history.

"Die tyd van Verwoerd (1901-1960)" is nie geskryf om apartheid en dr. Hendrik Verwoerd se doen en late te regverdig of the veroordeel nie, maar 'n eerlike poging om dit te beskryf soos dit was en dit in konteks te plaas.

L.J. Bothma - onafhanklike skrywer en navorser - wat bekendheid verwerf het met boeke soos "Die Buffel Struikel", "Rebelspoor" en "Vang 'n Boer", werk deeglik en draai nie doekies om nie. Hy gaan haal die storie by Jan van Riebeeck en trek die lyne deur tot by die opspraakwekkende 1948-verkiesing toe die ikoniese Jan Smuts in Standerton verslaan is. Bothma plaas die leser terug in tyd. Dan werk hy stap vir stap, jaar vir jaar en later selfs dag vir dag vorentoe, soos die Nasionale Party en sy leiers met Verwoerd al prominenter, meedoënloos voortsoom na die doelwit - 'n blanke republiek.

'n Historiese proses word beskryf wat soos 'n skaakspel verloop. Twee uiteenlopende ideale wat nie saam onder een dak kan bestaan nie skuur vinniger teen mekaar. Die wind van verandering waai al sterker totdat die kortsluiting op 21 Maart 1960 kom, by Sharpville.

Verwoerd staan soos 'n blok graniet; en word dan self die teiken...

In "Hondeklipbaai: van toeka tot nou" word hierdie kusdorpie soveel meer as 'n naam op 'n padbord langs die N7. Tinus Bruwer laat die geskiedenis van die Hondeklipbaaistreek lewe met sy vertellings oor hierdie oudste maar uiters gevaarlike natuurlike hawe aan die weskus van Suid-Afrika.

Lees oor die talle skipbreuke langs die kus en loop op die spoor van koper- en diamantontginning in Namakwaland. Watter soort mens het hierdie streek getem deur eeue se ontberings en swaarkry; hoe het Moordenaarsbaai sy naam gekry en waar lê Simson se Moertjie? Is daar 'n logiese verklaring vir die onverklaarbare "Verskynsel" buite Hondeklipbaai?

Hierdie boek vertel jou oor Hondeklipbaai se "toeka" en sy "nou".