Order and chaos: Archives in South Africa

There are well-known problems with the archives service in South Africa, not in the university or private sector, but certainly in the state system. Some local records offices are run superbly well, while others are ramshackle with a large amount of material having gone missing over the years. Interested academics and professionals in South Africa have done their best to raise issues and make helpful positive suggestions over the years, one recent initiative being particularly helpful. This is that in 2019 the Wits History Workshop, Historical Papers Research Archive at Wits University, the South African History Archive and the Public Affairs Research Institute published A People’s Guide to Archives and Democracy.

This is a popular guide designed to provide an overarching introduction to archives in South Africa, something it does extremely well. The guide is available to be freely shared and

can be downloaded from the History Workshop website here.

Last updated: 24 September 2020