Johanna Brandt
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Johanna Brandt (18 November 1876 in
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
,
South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...
– 13 January 1964 in
Newlands, Cape Town Newlands (Nuweland) is an upmarket suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is located at the foot of Table Mountain in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, and is the wettest suburb in South Africa due to its high winter rainfall. The neighborhood ...
) was a South African propagandist of
Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...
nationalism, spy during the
Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
, prophet and writer on controversial health subjects.


Biography

Johanna van Warmelo was born on 18 November 1876, to Pastor Nicolaas Jacobus van Warmelo and his second wife Maria Magdalena Elizabeth Maré. Her father was a Dutch Reformed minister from the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
whilst her mother's family had been early emigrants to southern Africa.Modernity and Religion
William Nicholls, p72, Papers presented at the Consultation on Modernity and Religion held at the University of British Columbia, 15–18 Dec. 1981, 1987 , accessed 8 August 2008
Brandt was educated for two years at the Good Hope Seminary for Young Ladies in
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
. When her father died in 1892, Johanna and her mother set out for a six-month tour of Europe. At the start of the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
in 1899, Johanna volunteered along with three of her brothers. She served as a nurse until the British captured
Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
, the capital of the
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
. The Boers did not immediately surrender, however, and a long guerrilla war began. It was during this second phase of the Boer War that Brandt, who was living in Pretoria, became active for the Boer cause. She organised women to spy on British officers and hid prisoners who were on the run. It was her actions that led to
W. T. Stead William Thomas Stead (5 July 184915 April 1912) was a British newspaper editor who, as a pioneer of investigative journalism, became a controversial figure of the Victorian era. Stead published a series of hugely influential campaigns whilst ed ...
running an article in the ''Review of Reviews'' about the appalling conditions in the Irene Concentration Camp, which contributed to a decline in British public support for the war. After the war she wrote her own account of the Irene Concentration Camp, but her most well-known book was ''The Petticoat Commando'', which told of her and her mother's exploits during the Boer War. The book is dedicated to her mother, "As a peace offering for having brought her into publicity in direct opposition to her wishes".The Petticoat Commando
Johanna Brandt, Project Gutenburg, 1913, accessed 8 August 2008
The Van Warmelos' house, which they called ''Harmony'' became a centre for the British occupying force. Johanna (who calls herself "Hansie" in the book) is shown as headstrong, and she and her mother exploit the British estimation of the two Boer women as harmless. Among the high-ranking British officers quartered nearby were Lord Kitchener, Lord Roberts and the
Duke of Westminster Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the ...
. The Van Warmelos were largely left in peace by their "guests". This misplaced trust may have been due to Johanna's brother-in-law, Henry Cloete, who was married to her oldest sister. Cloete was a former British agent in South Africa and had been elevated as Companion of the
Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...
by
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
. In their role of harmless civilians, Johanna and her mother were able to collect information on the movements of soldiers and ammunition, and they smuggled this information out using letters written in
invisible ink Invisible ink, also known as security ink or sympathetic ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some means, such as heat or ultraviolet light. Invisible ...
made from lemon juice. In 1902 Johanna married a minister, Louis Ernst Brandt. She had become so well known that messages of congratulations came from the leaders of countries.


World War I

Brandt remained involved in South African nationalist politics. When the British declared war on Germany in August 1914, they transferred the garrison in South Africa to the European front. Several Boer officers, led by Lieutenant Colonel
Manie Maritz Manie Maritz (1876–1940), also known as Gerrit Maritz, was a Boer officer during the Second Boer War and a leading rebel of the 1914 Maritz Rebellion. Early years Maritz was born in Kimberley, Northern Cape then in the British colony of the ...
, seized this opportunity to declare South Africa's independence. When the
Maritz Rebellion The Maritz rebellion, also known as the Boer revolt or Five Shilling rebellion,General De Wet publicly unfurled the rebel banner in October, when he entered the town of Reitz at the head of an armed commando. He summoned all the town and dema ...
was crushed by the South African government 6 months later, the Nasionale Vroueparty, or National Women's Party, was formed in the Transvaal. Its purpose was to work to free the rebels and to care for their families, as well as to serve as an auxiliary for the National Party. Brandt served as secretary at the party's first congress, held in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
.


Health writings

Brandt published about twenty pamphlets on the subject of natural remedies for health problems. Her best-known publications are ''The Grape Cure'' and ''Fasting Book''. ''The Grape Cure'' is said to have been written after Brandt claimed to have cured herself of stomach cancer. The book may have been inspired by the writings of
Arnold Ehret Arnold Ehret (July 29, 1866 October 10, 1922)Melton, Gordon J. (1990). ''New Age Encyclopedia''. Gale Research. p. 159. was a German naturopath and alternative health educator, best known for developing the Mucusless Diet Healing System. Ehret ...
, a contemporary, who taught a Grape Cure course, according to Sylvia Saltman. The conclusions expressed by Brandt in ''The Grape Cure'' have been denounced as "
quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...
", however, Brandt's book was an influence for South African author, Essie Honiball, who wrote ''I Live on Fruit'', and Basil Shackleton, author of ''The Grape Cure: A Personal Testament''.


Prophecy

Brandt wrote about revelations that were allegedly made to her on the evening of her mother's death on 7 December 1917 in Pretoria. She published these prophetic revelations in a book called ''The Millennium'' in 1918. Her other religious work was the ''Paraclete, or Coming World Mother'' which was published in 1936. The works include prophecies for South Africa in which she warns the "tribes" that they must heed their "masters" and of a "dark future". After an alleged angel's revelation in 1916, Brandt is reported to have spoken of South Africans as the chosen race and of Johannesburg being attacked by black people.


Legacy

In 2000, the South African Post office created a series of stamps about the writers of the Boer War, including Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...
and
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
. Johanna Brandt appears on the 1.30 rand stamp together with
Sol Plaatje Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje (9 October 1876 – 19 June 1932) was a South African intellectual, journalist, linguist, politician, translator and writer. Plaatje was a founding member and first General Secretary of the South African Native Nation ...
and the Anglo-Boer War Medal.


Major works

* * ''Het concentratie-kamp van Iréne'' (Amsterdam: Hollandsch-Afrikaansche Uitgevers-Maatschappij, 1905). * ''Die Kappie Kommando, of Boerevrouwen in Geheime Dienst'' (Amsterdam: J. H. De Bussy & Hollandsch-Afrikaansche Uitgevers-Maatschappij, 1913). * * ''Die Millenium, een voorspelling'' (Bloemfontein, Eigenverlag 1918). * ''The Millenium – A Prophetic Message to the Native Tribes of South Africa'' (1918). * ''Die smeltkroes'' (1920). * ''The Grape Cure'', USA: Metaphysical Concepts, 1927.Other editions:
*''The Grape Cure'', New York: Ehret Literature Publishing Company, 1930 and 1990s.
*''The Grape Cure'', Tree Of Life Publishers, 1996.
*''The Grape Cure'', Washington: Health Research Books, 1990s.
*''How to Conquer Cancer, Naturally: The Grape Cure'', Progressive Press.
*''The Grape Cure'', Durban: Essence of Health Publishers.
*The Grape Cure: For Cancer and Other Diseases, Religious Liberty Publishing Association, 1948, 94 pages.
*''Descubra el poder de las uvas'' (Discover the Power of Grapes), Spanish translation of ''The Grape Cure'' by Miguel R. Heredia, (Colección Natural Series), Imaginador, 2004
* ''Fasting'' (describes her visions & spiritual experiences when fasting) * ''The Fasting-Book: a book on the creation and redemption of the body'', Edition 2, De Nationale Pers, 1931, 229 pages.


Bibliography

* Rita van der Merwe, ''Johanna Brandt en die kritieke jare in die Transvaal 1899–1908'' (Pretoria: Protea, 2004), . * Annelize Morgan, ''Die visioene van Johanna Brandt'' (Mosselbaai: Libanon Uitgewers, 1994), .


See also

*
List of ineffective cancer treatments This is a non-exhaustive list of alternative treatments that have been promoted to treat or prevent cancer in humans but which lack scientific and medical evidence of effectiveness. In many cases, there is scientific evidence that the alleged tr ...


References


External links

* * *
Brandt, Joanna ''Testimonial'' at Fruitarian.Com Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandt, Johanna 1876 births 1964 deaths South African women writers Afrikaner people Fasting advocates South African people of Dutch descent South African spies Writers from Cape Town South African nutritionists South African non-fiction writers Alternative cancer treatment advocates Angelic visionaries Pseudoscientific diet advocates