As a collective, klaverjas players form a distinct community of practice with a unique organisational discourse, language, and set of socialisation practices. Given its prevalence within South Africa’s Black communities, klawerjas, as it is locally known, is perceived as both the traditional game of the communities in question and a marker of a particular regional ethnic identity. The history of klaverjas is part of the unmapped sporting heritage of South Africa’s Black communities, whose true extent and meaning have long remained obscured. This book maps the development of klaverjas, its consolidation, its unique local character, and its intersections with broader societal events. It places competitive klaverjas in the mainstream of South Africa’s sports history and claims its place as a part of the country’s national sports identity.

Dr Hendrik Snyders is a Research Fellow at the National Museum and Free State University in Bloemfontein, South Africa. His research broadly focuses on identity, masculinity, and cultural heritage. He recently published Blitzboks: A History of Rugby Sevens in South Africa, and Rough Diamonds, A History of South African Baseball.Leonard Jacobs is a retired klaverjas player based in Cape Town and a former executive committee member of a number of regional associations. He is also a founder member of the South African Klawerjas Board of Control and has served organised klawerjas in South Africa for more than forty years.

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Acronyms and Initialisms
Note on the Spelling of Key Terms
Introduction
Chapter 1: Foregrounding
Chapter 2: Towards an Organised Sport
Chapter 3: Apartheid Intersections and Heritage Denial
Chapter 4: Uniformity and Parallel Struggles
Chapter 5: A Klaverjas World Championship
Chapter 6: Towards a South African Klaverjas Board
Chapter 7: Mandela Decade - Operations of the National Board
Chapter 8: Heritage Change and National Recognition
Chapter 9: Ongoing Search for Respectability
Chapter 10: Into the Future
Bibliography
Index