The History of the South African Department of Foreign Affairs 1927-1993
Edited by Tom Wheeler
SAIIA: 2005
ISBN: 0-919810-22-5
Pages: 779
Prices: ZAR 250.00
With the approval of the Director General of Foreign Affairs, SAIIA has published the officially prepared history of the South African Department of Foreign Affairs, covering the period from its founding to the run-up to the first democratic election.
The book contains 28 chapters divided into three parts: Part 1 relates the role of the Department and its officials in great and lesser events, as well as its development in the years between 1927 and 1948; Part 2 deals with 1948-1966; and Part 3 is a history of the Department itself, reflecting external events indirectly through the growth, organisation and management of the Department.
Authors include Professor Christof Muller, Dr At van Wyk, Dr Frans Nöthling and Mr Johan de Beer. Translation and abbreviation of the original Afrikaans text was done by Ambassador Jeremy B Shearar.
The concluding chapter is an Assessment of the 66 years covered by the history, written by former Director-General Neil van Heerden.
The compilation editor is Tom Wheeler, assisted by Dr Donna Wyckoff-Wheeler.
The volume contains the only comprehensive list of names of all South Africa’s Foreign Ministers, heads of the department, and heads of mission – Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Consuls-General – appointed from 1927 up to the elections of April 1994.
Running to over 700 pages, the book is in limited supply and is available for purchase from the Publications Manager. For book enquiries and purchasing, please contact our Publications Department.
