SAHA’s collections is largely made up of documents, photographs, posters, audiovisual materials and ephemera donated to SAHA by individuals and organizations involved in past and ongoing struggles for justice in South Africa. They include materials gathered during a Truth and Reconciliation Commission archival audit, various oral history projects and the Freedom of Information Programme (FOIP) special projects.

Materials collected by SAHA before 1992 were organized into six collections, according to subject (for example, the UDF) and physical medium (such as posters or photographs). In contrast, those archival collections added after 1992 have been organized and maintained in line with standard archival practice according to the provenance of the collection, that is, the person or organization who originally compiled the materials.

While the majority of our collections are paper-based and can only be consulted by visiting our offices in Johannesburg, selected archival materials from SAHA collections relating to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission have been digitized and are available on the Traces of Truth website. In partnership with Digital Innovation South Africa (DISA) andAluka, certain archival materials from key SAHA collections are now being digitized and will be made available for educational and non-commercial purposes on the DISA and Aluka websites over the next few years.

Postal Address
P.O.Box 31719
Braamfontein
South Africa, 2017         
t +27 (11) 717 1941
f +27 (11) 717 1964