Gen jan smuts biography
Daniel malan.
General Jan Christiaan Smuts
General Jan Christiaan Smuts was born near Riebeeck West in the Cape Colony on 24 May 1870.
Gen jan smuts biography
His mother taught him the elements of reading and writing in English, and he only entered school at the age of 12, when his elder brother Michiel died.
After only five years of formal schooling, he matriculated with distinction at the Victoria College in Stellenbosch.
His time at Stellenbosch is considered significant, as there he embraced the political philosophy of J.H Hofmeyr “Onze Jan”, the leader of the Afrikaner Bond.
It was also during his time at Stellenbosch that he developed an affinity for botany under Professor R.
Marloth and met his future wife, Sybella Margaretha “Isie” Krige, the daughter of a leading local farmer.
In 1891, he gained a double first in the combined literary and science degree examination of the University of the Cape of Good Hope, which is now the University of South Africa (UNISA).
This achievement earned him the Ebden scholar