Featuring A Portrait of the Prime Minister; General Smuts, South Africa’s Man of Action

377mm x 275mm

Minor wear to the edges, some pages creased.

R1,000

Box 4, no 17

The cover of the 1940 Cape Times Annual captures a defining moment in South African history through a raw, unposed photograph of Prime Minister General Jan Smuts (center) hiking up Table Mountain during the opening months of World War II.

Key Historical Aspects

• The "Oubaas" on Table Mountain: Jan Smuts was a devout, lifelong mountaineer who climbed Table Mountain hundreds of times throughout his life. Even as Prime Minister in his 70s, he routinely shunned the cableway, taking steep routes up the mountain to clear his head. The photo captures him paused on the trail wearing his signature safari/bush jacket, leather belt, and holding his walking hat.

• wartime Leadership (1940): This issue came out shortly after South Africa's dramatic entry into World War II in September 1939. Smuts had just ousted J.B.M. Hertzog in a parliament vote over whether South Africa should remain neutral or join the Allies. Smuts took over as Prime Minister, committed South African forces to the Allied war effort, and assumed the role of Minister of Defence—making his rugged, resolute image on the cover a powerful symbol of wartime leadership for the country.

• The "Religion of the Mountain": Smuts's deep spiritual connection to Table Mountain wasn't just physical exercise; it laid the groundwork for his personal philosophy of Holism. In 1923, he delivered his famous address, "The Religion of the Mountain," on Table Mountain's summit, reflecting his belief that nature and mountains were central to human elevation, peace, and unified thinking.

• Published by CNA & Cape Times: Printed by Cape Times Ltd. and distributed by the Central News Agency (CNA) at two shillings and sixpence (2/6), the 1940 edition is part of a storied line of special war-era publications that documented the social, political, and natural landscape of South Africa during WWII.