South African History Archive SAHA

History and Founding

The South African History Archive (SAHA) was founded in 1988 by representatives of the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM), an umbrella of anti-apartheid organisations including the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). It was created in response to intensifying state censorship under the National Party government, which threatened to destroy or obscure records documenting the liberation struggle. In its early years, materials were housed outside South Africa—primarily at the Popular History Trust in Harare, Zimbabwe—to prevent destruction by apartheid authorities. Following the unbanning of political organisations in the early 1990s, the archive returned to South Africa. SAHA was initially based at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), then relocated in 2012 to Constitution Hill's Women's Gaol Museum in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, where it also assumed responsibility for archiving the Constitution Hill Trust records. In 2022 it returned to the Wits Education Campus in Parktown.

Collections and Holdings

SAHA's collections consist largely of documents, posters, photographs, ephemera, and oral histories donated by individuals and organisations involved in past and ongoing struggles for justice in South Africa. Significant holdings include records of the United Democratic Front, the African National Congress, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and numerous other civil society organisations. SAHA also holds materials relating to its Freedom of Information Programme, which uses the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain and archive government-held records. The archive holds materials digitised in partnership with Digital Innovation South Africa (DISA), which are accessible online for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

SAHA's collections include extensive documentation of censorship, press restrictions, and media during the apartheid era. Materials relevant to journalism include records of banned publications, documentation of state surveillance of journalists, and records of organisations that reported on human rights abuses. The Freedom of Information Programme has assembled a growing body of materials released under PAIA relevant to public accountability journalism.

Access and Usage

SAHA is open to all users by appointment. The reading room is located in the basement of the Wits University Education Library, Parktown, Johannesburg. Digitised portions of key collections are accessible online via the DISA platform. The archive is non-profit and politically non-aligned, with its work organised around the Struggles for Justice Programme and the Freedom of Information Programme.