Mapungubwe Archive

The objective of the Mapungubwe Archive is to collect, organise, and preserve in perpetuity the records of the University of Pretoria related to the diverse subject of Mapungubwe, and to make the archive associated with the Mapungubwe collection accessible and provide research support to further an informed and enduring understanding of Mapungubwe. The Archive is a repository of historical and modern significance that forms a key part of the University of Pretoria’s institutional memory bank. The Mapungubwe Archive was established as a formal research repository in 2022 with generous funding from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation in association with the US Embassy in Pretoria.

Historical records dating back to 1933 relating to the history of Mapungubwe were departmentally managed as archaeological records as a result of the University of Pretoria’s excavations from 1933 until 1998. However, since the establishment of a museum in 1999, records were transferred to form part of an archive which has since greatly expanded in scope and now serves under the curatorship by the University of Pretoria Museums. The Mapungubwe Archives operate under the umbrella of the University of Pretoria Archives under the authority of the Office of the Registrar and forms an integral part of the museum’s research and social responsibility role as stewards of the Mapungubwe Collection.

The Mapungubwe Archive is a member of the International Council on Archives (ICA) representing the records and archive professionals across the globe dedicated to the effective management of records and the preservation, care and use of the world’s archival heritage. The Mapungubwe Archive is accessible to staff, students and qualified (bone fides) scholarly researchers. The Mapungubwe is not a public archive and is only available to researchers both nationally and internationally. Requests for access are sent by email, by appointment and granted only upon accepted registration as a researcher. Researchers are required to submit letters of motivation, and attach a research proposal and ethics permissions are required.

Finding Aids
The Mapungubwe Archive curates, manages, maintains and preserves a substantial collection of historical documents, photographs, negatives, slides, maps, multimedia material, digital records, publications and other related material from the period 1933 to the present. Some of these records have been digitised in full or in part, and are searchable and discoverable in an electronic database. The collections marked with an asterisk are available on a database or can be searched for digitally. The database is arranged in chronological order and includes information with a date, language, subject/topic, author, recipient, a detailed description, related corresponding documents, document type/ format of the records and condition.

The following is a list of sub-collections that are currently open for research:
Mapungubwe Archive Document (MAD) collection, 1933 - 1999 *                
Mapungubwe Photograph Collection (MAP), 1933 – 1999
Mapungubwe Illustration/Art Collection (MAI)
Mapungubwe Cartography Collection (MAC), 1933-1990s
Mapungubwe Illustration/Art Collection (MIC), 1930s
Mapungubwe Newspaper Collection (MAN), 1933-2023 *                                   
Mapungubwe Digital Files and Electronic Media Collection (MAM) *
Mapungubwe Object File Collection (MAO), 1933-2023

The Mapungubwe Research Collection consists of research published, and unpublished, articles digital and in hard copy and field reports, 1933-2023

The Mapungubwe Libraria comprises books, theses, school textbooks, poetry, fiction and non-fiction books, any published material on the subject of Mapungubwe, 1933-2023

The Mapungubwe Biography Collection (MBC) comprises of the following:

Francois Bernard Lotrie records (1825 – 1917)
Jeremiah Cornelius van Graan records (1908-1987)
Leo Fouché records (1880-1949)
Jacob de Villiers Roos records (1869-1940)
Eustace Adams records (1888-1968
Guy Attwater Gardner records (1881-1959)
Johannes Fritz Eloff records (1918-2007)
Andrie Meyer records (b. 1946)
Clarence van Riet Lowe records (1894-1956)
John Schofield records (1886 – 1956)

Restrictions
Access to Mapungubwe Archive records is granted at the discretion of Archival staff and certain materials may be restricted to protect individual privacy rights, proprietary rights of the Museum or intellectual rights to the University of Pretoria, or because the records have not yet been processed and prepared for use. Restrictions may be imposed on certain primary materials including, but not limited to: confidential records, personnel-related files, financial records, legal documents, including insurance and appraisal records and conservation reports, any personal information and anything that would compromise the Archive's security.

Contact Us
Telephone: +27 12 420 3100
E-mail: [email protected]
Hours: By appointment only (Weekdays, not open on weekends, public holidays), Closes for the academic year
08:00-16:00 Mondays to Fridays
Fees: Researchers are required to register and nominal fees apply
Mapungubwe Archive
University of Pretoria
Hatfield Campus
Old Arts Building, Room 1-16
Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002
South Africa