Johanna Brandt (born Van Warmelo) lived in Pretoria during the Anglo Boer War. She became involved in the events as a nurse in hospitals and later on in the Irene concentration camp and also as a Boer spy. She married the Reverend L.E. Brandt in the Netherlands soon after the war. In 1903 they came to South Africa where Brandt became minister of the Zoutpansberg congregation of the Hervormde Kerk while Johanna organised a spinning school and joined the South African Women's Federation. In 1908 they moved to the Johannesburg congregation. After the Afrikaner Rebellion Johanna helped organize the women's march as well as the Woman's National Party, but she withdrew after internal quarrels. She was interested in women's rights but never became an active feminist.
The death of her mother in 1916 was for her traumatic and she sincerely believed that she saw visions which she explained in her book Millennium. While she desperately clung to her mother's home Harmony where she lived for a few years, she awaited the second coming of Christ. She also became involved in theosophy and naturopathy and wrote a book on the grape cure. In 1923 the Brandts moved to Vereeniging. Johanna subsequently undertook long tours on her own to publicize her cures, including a visit lasting 18 months to Europe and the USA. In 1930 the Brandts moved to a smallholding near Johannesburg where Johanna established a sanatorium. She also became involved in the New Age movement.
Johanna and Brandt had seven children of their own and adopted another one. He retired in 1939 but died soon afterwards in a freak accident. Johanna subsequently withdrew from public life and settled in Cape Town, where she continued writing. She died in 1964 at the age of 88.
Johanna Brandt neé Van Warmelo het tydens die Anglo-Boereoorlog in Pretoria gewoon toe sy as verpleegster in hospitale en later in die Irene-konsentrasiekamp asook as Boerespioen by die stryd betrokke geraak het. Kort na die oorlog is sy in Nederland met ds. L.E. Brandt getroud. Hulle het in 1903 na Suid-Afrika gekom waar Brandt predikant in die Soutpansberggemeente van die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk geword het, terwyl Johanna 'n spinskool gestig en by die SAVF betrokke was. Die Brandts het in 1908 na die Johannesburg-gemeente verhuis. Na die Afrikanerrebellie was Johanna betrokke by die Vroue-optog (1915) asook by die Vrouwe Nationale Party, maar na interne twis het sy haar onttrek. Sy was 'n voorstander van vroueregte maar nooit 'n aktiewe feminis nie.
Die dood van Johanna se moeder in 1916 was vir haar traumaties en sy het geglo dat sy visioene gesien het waaroor sy die boek Millennium geskryf het. Haar trauma is verhoog deur haar onvermoë om die woonhuis Harmony, waar sy 'n paar jaar gaan woon het terwyl sy op die wederkoms van Christus gewag het, te behou. Sy het voorts by teosofie en natuurgeneeskunde betrokke geraak en 'n boek oor die druiwekuur geskryf. In 1923 het die Brandts na Vereeniging verhuis. Johanna het daarna op haar eie lang reise onderneem om haar kure te propageer en was onder meer vir 18 maande in Europa en die VSA. In 1930 het die
Brandts na Johannesburg verhuis waar Johanna 'n sanatorium opgerig het. Sy was ook by die Nuwe Era-beweging betrokke
Johanna en Brandt het sewe eie kinders gehad en een aangeneem. Hy is in 1939 kort na sy aftrede as gevolg van 'n fratsongeluk oorlede, waarna sy haar aan die openbare lewe onttrek het. Sy het haar in Kaapstad gevestig en steeds geskryf. Sy is in 1964 op 88-jarige leeftyd oorlede.
