Archives & Human Rights Documentation
 
31 January 2012
See the list of SAHA's educational resources developed to assist history learners and educators in schools.    
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31 January 2012
A review of the materials released to SAHA by the Department of Education based on the 2011 State of the Nation Address   
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30 January 2012
The world respcted him in many different ways for his contribution towards peace, unity and 'ubuntu'. The 30th of June marks 64 years since his tragic death in 1948.    
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25 January 2012
The recent death of this renowned photographer has left a void hard to fill. Her passion for exposing social injustices by using her camera made a considerable impact in the struggle for just social change.    
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16 December 2011
UMkhonto weSizwe was the military wing of the ANC, proposed by Nelson Mandela and others in response to the apartheid government's tendency of attacking unarmed peaceful protesters.    
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15 December 2011
The controversial Vlakplaas masterminds may soon be free should their parole application be approved. By law, they are now eligible.    
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13 December 2011
132 prisoners executed between 1961 and 1989 at the gallows in Pretoria Central Prison are to be honoured by the Department of Correctional Services.    
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06 December 2011
Nontetha Nkwenkwe, like any other influential person in a black community during the apartheid years, was deemed a threat and subsequently incarcerated.   
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30 November 2011
The LGBTI community celebrates one of the best laws in recognising same-sex marriages, the Civil Union Act, on 30 November.   
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25 November 2011
This is an annual international initiative aimed at curbing violent crimes committed against women and children. This year's theme is 'From peace in the home to peace in the world'.   
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19 November 2011
It was the 19th of November 1981 when this great political activist was assassinated by the apartheid secret police in Umlazi, a township south of Durban, KwaZulu Natal. His crime: Fighting for freedom!   
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19 November 2011
A former SA cricketer who emigrated to England to escape discriminatory apartheid laws which threatened to limit his sporting career because of his race.    
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09 November 2011
A loathed ideology and a sorry sight to many around the world, the Berlin Wall was finally demolished after 28 years in existence on November 9.    
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06 November 2011
Known as the Jewel of District Six in Cape Town, Cissie Gool was highly passionate about issues of human rights.    
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03 November 2011
On November 3, 1964, the Madonna of the South African music scene was born in Langa Township, Cape Town.    
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26 September 2011
Dr. Wouter Basson, head of the apartheid government's chemical and biological warfare programme, is accused of acting contrary to the laws of humanity.   
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24 September 2011
This Heritage Month, SAHA has relaunched the Sunday Times Heritage Project website.    
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09 August 2011
In one of the largest demonstrations staged in this country's history, 55 years ago, 20 000 women of all races marched to Pretoria's Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, to present a petition against the carrying of passes.   
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01 August 2011
The Visual History Archive (VHA) has developed a new user friendly geo-spatial and temporal archive platform that provides unprecedented access and context to archival material concerned with the history of apartheid and the liberation struggle in Souther   
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29 July 2011
Tomorrow, the South African Communist Party (SACP) celebrates its 90th anniversary.   
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28 July 2011
The digitisation of more than 500 stickers in the South African History Archive (SAHA) Ephemera collection (AL2540) has now been completed, facilitating the access and use of a collection that was barely consulted by researchers in the past.   
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31 May 2011
In February 2011, SAHA took part in a United Nations High Commission for Human Rights seminar on the experiences of archives as a means to guarantee the right to the truth, the report of which is now available online.   
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27 April 2011
On 27 April 1994, for the first time in South African history, all citizens over the age of 18 were given the opportunity to cast their vote.   
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16 April 2011
On 15 April 1996, the first nation-wide TRC hearings opened in the East London City Hall. On 16 April 1996, the first victims' testimonies were heard, setting the tone for a process towards truth, justice and reconciliation which continues to this day.   
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18 March 2011
To mark Human Rights Day in 2011, the South African History Archive (SAHA) invited Grade 12 history learners to participate in a pilot workshop on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), history and human rights.    
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06 March 2011
On 6 March 1981, Oscar Mpetha was convicted of terrorism. Thirty years later, SAHA remembers the life of this trade unionist and political leader.    
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28 February 2011
On Saturday 26 February 2011, the South African History Archive (SAHA) held a pilot workshop for Grade 11 and 12 history educators on teaching the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in the classroom.    
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28 February 2011
Comprising interviews from the De Wet Potgieter collection (AL3283) at SAHA, 'Military Intelligence in Apartheid South Africa' is the first of the 20 collections of oral and life histories from numerous African countries.    
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09 January 2011
History was made on 9 January, 1991, when the integration of public schools was initiated through the admission of black students to thirty-three previously all-white schools in the former Transvaal Province.    
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08 January 2011
Lawrence Ndzanga, leader of the South African Railways and Harbours Workers' Union (SARHW), made the ultimate sacrifice when he died under detention on 8 January 1977.    
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10 December 2010
On the occasion of the 60th International Human Rights Day, SAHA hosted the launch of the Truth Commission Special Report Multimedia Product at the Ramparts at Constitution Hill, accompanied by an exhibition comprised of numerous SAHA collections.    
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04 December 2010
On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, SAHA looks at the history of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).   
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01 December 2010
World AIDS Day commemorates the ongoing struggle to raise awareness and eliminate stigma surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic.    
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30 November 2010
The inventory for the Forced Migration Studies Programme on Xenophobic violence collection is now available online. The collection consist of oral history interviews that was done by the the Forced Migration Studies Programme at Wits University on the Xen   
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30 November 2010
SAHA, in conjunction with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), is launching its multimedia product on 9 December, with an accompanying exhibition at the Ramparts at Constitution Hill.    
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25 November 2010
The global initiative of 16 Days of Activism: No Violence Toward Women has been taken on by the South African government, which has extended the campaign to support children who are victims of physical and sexual abuse.    
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16 November 2010
On 16 November, 1860, 342 indentured Indian labourers landed at Addington Beach in Durban. Their arrival heralded the establishment of one of South Africa's most dynamic communities.    
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05 November 2010
On 5 November 1984, around 35 000 students, workers and township residents protested the newly formed Tricameral parliament in the largest stayaway since the 1960s.    
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29 October 2010
The De Wet Potgieter collection consists of oral narratives, documents and materials, and photographs by Doug Lee relating to military intelligence during the apartheid era, and extremist right-wing organisations in South Africa.    
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27 October 2010
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage has been commemorated at SAHA with an updated audit report of audiovisual material related to the liberation struggle.    
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10 October 2010
The World Day against the Death Penalty, held on 10 October each year, was introduced in 2003 by the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, an international network comprised of NGOs, bar associations, local governments and unions.    
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30 September 2010
Mark Gevisser's extensive collection of research materials for his 2007 biography 'Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred' can now be accessed at SAHA.    
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29 September 2010
Using struggle posters largely drawn from the SAHA Poster Collection to demonstrate the artistic, political and organisational value of the South African poster movement, chapters from the SAHA publication 'Red on Black' are now available online.   
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24 September 2010
Heritage Day is commemorated on 24 September as a cultural celebration and reminder of South Africa's rich history.    
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21 September 2010
On International Day of Peace, or World Peace Day, hundreds of organisations worldwide join the UN in calling for an end to armed conflict and violence.    
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15 September 2010
On International Day of Democracy, SAHA assesses how, in its short life, South African democracy has been challenged, and how important it is to remember a time when social equality could not be taken for granted.    
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12 September 2010
Black Consciousness Movement leader, Steve Biko, died of head injuries sustained under mysterious circumstances while in detention on 12 September, 1977.   
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12 September 2010
Anton Lubowski, Namibian human rights advocate and executive member of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO), was assassinated by the Civil Cooperation Bureau on 12 September 1989.    
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10 September 2010
Have you heard from Johannesburg is a seven-part documentary series produced and directed by two-time Academy Award® nominee Connie Field, screened by SABC on Sunday at 9pm through September and October 2010.    
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08 September 2010
International Literacy Day celebrates the global drive towards eradicating illiteracy, empowering people with the tools to acquire confidence, knowledge and dignity.    
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26 August 2010
Namibia Day is a national holiday in Namibia, set aside to commemorate a political heritage of heroes and martyrs who have fought and sacrificed for their nation's freedom.    
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25 August 2010
On Tuesday 24 August 2010 David Beresford released Truth is a Strange Fruit: A Personal Journey Through the Apartheid War, a book utilising rare material from SAHA's John Harris Collection.    
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23 August 2010
John Vorster Square was officially opened on 23 August 1968, during the height of racial segregation and political oppression in apartheid South Africa.   
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20 August 2010
The United Democratic Front, launched in Mitchell's Plain on this day in 1983, was an anti-apartheid civic organisation which paved the way for a new period of struggle in the tumult of 1980s South Africa.    
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09 August 2010
Women's Day commemorates the role of women in the struggle for freedom and equality in South Africa and acknowledges the ongoing plight of many women who continue to struggle against exploitation and abuse.   
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18 July 2010
In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly designated 18 July, Nelson Mandela's birthday, as Mandela Day. This pays tribute to the man and his vision, and also serves as a platform for globally promoting social justice.   
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27 June 2010
Twenty five years ago, Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli were captured and murdered by security police. This marked a turning point for the South African struggle, but their deaths remained a mystery for decades to come.    
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26 June 2010
Fifty five years ago, the Congress of the People met at Kliptown to sign the Freedom Charter, which served as the precursor to South Africa's current Bill of Rights.   
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25 June 2010
The Ditsong National Museum of Military History is hosting an exhibition on the End Conscription Campaign (ECC) between 6 June and 30 August, 2010, including a number of evocative ECC struggle posters stored in SAHA's poster collection.    
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20 June 2010
World Refugee Day was established in late 2000 as a way of drawing attention to the ever-growing global plight of displaced persons. The theme for 2010 is 'home' - in sympathy with the millions worldwide forced to leave their homes behind.    
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16 June 2010
Youth Day is held each year as a reminder of the Soweto Uprising, which involved the mass uprising of Soweto's high school students against Bantu Education and the injustices of apartheid.   
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12 June 2010
The World Day against Child Labour was adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2002 as a way of drawing attention to international efforts aimed at ending child labour.   
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05 June 2010
June 5 was designated World Environment Day in 1972, as a way of deepening consciousness of environmental concerns on a global level.    
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31 May 2010
On the centenary of the Union of South Africa, the South African History Archive reflects on the significance of this historical event on the evolution of contemporary South Africa.    
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16 May 2010
The South African History Archive remembers veteran South African human rights activist and patron of the Black Sash, Sheena Duncan, who passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday the 4th of May, 2010.    
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14 May 2010
Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert passed away on the 14th of May, 2010. His work in both South African politics and civil society was central to the process of multiracial negotiations which took place from the late 1980s.    
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12 May 2010
A new form of hate crime emerged in May 2008 when xenophobic attacks broke out throughout the country, creating an unprecedented refugee crisis.    
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11 May 2010
The John Harris Collection consists of material related to the trial, arrest and execution of (Frederick) John Harris, the only white person to be executed for a politically inspired offence in apartheid South Africa.    
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08 May 2010
Three members of the Port Elizabeth Black Civic Organisation were abducted and murdered by Vlakplaas hit squad operatives on May 8, 1985, but details of their disappearance only emerged during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.    
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01 May 2010
The legacy of May Day, otherwise known as International Workers' Day, continues to resonate in South Africa, where workers still faced struggle against capitalist exploitation and apartheid repression.    
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27 April 2010
As we celebrate this year's Freedom Day, SAHA looks at a darker side of South African heritage: fifty years since the Group Areas Act No. 41 of 1950 was passed.   
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27 April 2010
This year's Freedom Day marks sixteen years since the birth of a new South African democracy.    
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26 April 2010
Film maker David Forbes has worked tirelessly for the past seven years, using PAIA to research the previously undisclosed story of the murder of the Cradock Four to produce both a full-length feature, and a made-for-television production.    
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15 April 2010
On the anniversary of its first human rights violations hearings at the East London City Hall in 1996, SAHA reflects on the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).    
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26 March 2010
After significant work done by the NMF Memory Programme, the Rivonia Trial Database has been launched. It features wide-ranging material on the trial, including material from five SAHA collections.    
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21 March 2010
SAHA reflects on the tragic events that took place at Sharpeville on this day 50 years ago.   
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15 March 2010
SAHA commemorates the life and work of anti-apartheid icon, Fatima Meer.   
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08 March 2010
On International Women's Day, SAHA celebrates one century since the first proposal was made to create a special day for women.    
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11 February 2010
SAHA commemorates the legacy of District Six on the anniversary of the apartheid government's decision to declare it a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act of 1950.    
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11 February 2010
SAHA salutes Nelson Mandela on the twentieth anniversary of his release from prison.    
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02 February 2010
SAHA reflects on how the unbanning of political parties and partial lifting of State of Emergency Regulations signaled a positive shift towards a new South African democracy.   
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12 January 2010
On the anniversary of the Nangalembe Night Vigil Massacre, SAHA looks at the role of crime during South Africa's interregnum.   
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18 December 2009
Commemorating the 2009 International Migrants Day, SAHA reconciles South Africa's own past with current issues of migrancy, refugeeism and xenophobia.    
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17 December 2009
A new report on copyright and documentary film-making in South Africa has been released.   
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10 December 2009
On the 10th of December 2009, SAHA recounts the human rights struggles of the Namibian people on their road to freedom as they celebrate their own Human Rights Day.    
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01 December 2009
'I am responsible, we are responsible, South Africa is taking responsibility'   
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01 December 2009
To mark World Aids Day 2009, SAHA has added a substantial new collection, donated by Jack Lewis and Zackie Achmat, to its holdings.   
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16 November 2009
To mark International Students Day, SAHA recalls the proud tradition of student activism in South Africa.   
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07 October 2009
The Nelson Mandela Foundation and SAHA have prepared a joint submission on the Protection of Personal Information Bill currently before parliament.    
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02 October 2009
Part of commemorating the ECC has involved acknowledging the ongoing struggle of today's young Conscientious Objectors - including the Shministim, who recently spoke at Wits University.    
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20 June 2008
The We Are Africa workshop and exhibition in June 2008 in Johannesburg brought healing to a group of participants whose lives were reeling under the impact of violence: from the xenophobic attacks...   
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19 January 2008
In November 2007, SAHA facilitated an art-making and memory workshop with the Khulumani Support Group in Evaton, aimed at exploring peoples memories, their personal histories, and their understandings of South Africas heritage of struggle.   
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