Stormwinde of droogtes by Freek Swart

Stormwinde of droogtes (Standard First Edition, First Printing in Afrikaans)

The Life of Hendrik Schoeman, South Africa's Popular Minister of Agriculture and Transport

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Stormwinde of droogtes: Die storie van Hendrik Schoeman
• Author: Freek Swart
• Publisher: Litera Publikasies, Pretoria
• Publication Date: 2002
• ISBN-13: 9780620291323
• ISBN-10: 062029132X
• Edition Details: First Edition (Eerste uitgawe), First Printing (Eerste druk). Standard softcover release.
• Binding: Original publisher's illustrated card wrappers with French flaps, black with a photographic portrait cover.
• Physical Format: Large softcover (trade paperback) format. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs.
• Language: Afrikaans

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Wraps: Black printed wrappers with a photographic portrait cover. The spine is clean and straight with bright lettering. A small patch of surface damage, scuffed or peeled, is present on the back cover near the right edge beside the middle of the text. Corners and edges are generally sound.
• Interior: The text block is clean, white and tight, with a solid binding. No foxing or markings. The inner flap carries an author biography.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published in Pretoria in 2002 by Litera Publikasies, Stormwinde of droogtes (Storms or Droughts) is a biography of Hendrik Schoeman (1927-1995), the cheerful and widely liked South African cabinet minister who served as Minister of Agriculture and later of Transport.

Freek Swart, a veteran political journalist, draws on his own experience of the political scene and on interviews with people who knew Schoeman. The portrait stresses his humour, practical nature and Christian faith. The title comes from a remark about heaven having neither storms nor droughts.

The book is a useful source for South African politics under the National Party government, and for the human side of a minister remembered for his popularity among farmers and colleagues alike.

Author Profile: Freek Swart

Frederik Johannes (Freek) Swart was born in Reitz, Free State, on 25 September 1939 and died in Pretoria on 29 June 2003. He began as a general reporter at Oosterlig and later helped found the Sunday paper Die Beeld, before working at Rapport. He joined Beeld as a political reporter in 1974 and moved to SABC television news in 1983.

He also wrote short stories on world politics. His Spinola se rooi angelier won the Eugene Marais Prize in 1986, and 'n Sirkus in die steppe was published by Tafelberg in 1987.