Jan Christiaan Smuts, 1870-1950

Born on the farm Bovenplaats outside Riebeek West, Cape Colony, on 24 May 1870, his education took place at Victoria College, Stellenbosch, and Cambridge, where he read for the bar. He served with distinction in the South African War, 1899-1902, and in the first World War during the East African campaign. Smuts had a distinguished career in politics, being Prime Minister twice. During the second World War he played an important part and helped to draft the covenant for the United Nations.

For a full biography see the Dictionary of South African Biography Volume 1, edited by W. J. de Kock

Smith, 1787-1860 (Governor of Cape Colony 1847-1852).

Photographer

Mweli Skota was a member of the Executive and General Secretary of the African National Congress (ANC) in the 1920s and 1930s. He was also a business man, religious leader and publisher. Skota was the editor of the newspaper "Abantu-Batho", founder and editor of "African Shield" and he edited and compiled the "The African Yearly Register".

Explorer, botanist and founder of the South African Museum

Harold Jack Simons, sociologist and politician, and his wife, Ray Alexander Simons, were both active members of the Communist party and the African National Congress.

It was Norman Sher, the owner of the artwork and father of the artist Eric Sher, who initiated the painting of Chancellor House after re-visiting the building in 2008. He worked for attorneys Gershon and Jack Berman during the early 1950s. Their offices were situated one floor below the offices of Mandela and Tambo, where he made their personal acquaintance.

Jeremy Brown Shearer was born on the 4 October 1931 in Queenstown, South Africa. He obtained his LLB at the University of Stellenbosch in 1953. Working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the 1950s, he was posted as a diplomat to a number of European countries and the US, and represented South Africa at a variety of international conferences. He became Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations, where he presented his credentials to then Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in August 1988. He retired from the Department of Foreign Affairs on the 30 April 1994.