Developing our collections and preserving them for future generations.
Published by Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, 2004.
From the Welcome Message by the Executive Mayor: “[This is] the third edition of a publication that was born out of a need to provide holidaymakers, overseas visitors and prospective investors with a guide to discovering South Africa’s administrative capital.
Tshwane has grown as a metropolis and worked hard at shaking off its image as the conservative face of South Africa. … Many economic initiatives and development strategies are on the go in Tshwane, making it a gold mine of opportunities with true investment potential.
…Although progress is important, it should never be at the cost of our history. As we hold our heritage dear, the Municipality is preserving it for future generations. [It is hoped] that this coffee-table book will provide you with the facts, interesting background and historical perspective to discover why this city is so dear to its residents and why we feel so passionate about making everyone aware of its charm.”
~Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/56894139
2025-08-13
Published by ESI, 2024.
BLURB: “In every society, brave women like Dr Irene Matodzi Mawela are not only essential—they are transformative forces of change. Our world needs courageous women who dare to challenge norms, standing firm in the face of adversity. Dr Mawela exemplified this bravery, especially during the oppressive apartheid era when women were expected to remain silent, accept diminished rights, and adhere to a patriarchal system that tried to dictate their place. In the face of laws and expectations designed to suppress her voice, Dr Mawela fearlessly fought for the right to sing in her own language, undeterred by the potential loss of her recording contract and music career. She understood that her expression was not only a personal right but also a broader symbol of resistance. Her unwavering stance became a powerful testament to the strength of women and the resilience needed to confront a male-dominated society that sought to silence her.
This book celebrates Dr Mawela’s life as a beacon of hope, pride, and resilience—a source of inspiration for young women who may face similar struggles. It tells the story of a relentless battle for self-expression and the right to share her culture, fought by a woman determined to succeed against all odds. Her journey serves as both a tribute to her bravery and a rallying call to other women who have, in their own ways, confronted and overcome personal and societal battles. More than a narrative of one woman’s victory, this book honours the collective power of women who strive for change in male-dominated spaces. It is a testament to the unbreakable spirit of women like Dr Mawela and to the enduring power of those who, with determination and courage, pave the way for a more equitable world.”
Evans Ntshengedzeni Netshivhambe is a dynamic young researcher, arranger, and composer dedicated to integrating African indigenous knowledge into higher education. With a special focus on African art music, he creatively merges traditional African composition techniques with modern musical frameworks. Through detailed research and critical analysis, Evans seeks to deepen the understanding of how African wisdom, practices, and artistic expressions can be meaningfully incorporated into academic curricula. His compositions celebrate Africa's rich cultural heritage, serving as a bridge between tradition and contemporary scholarship.
Driven by a unified mission, Evans strives to promote the respectful integration of African indigenous knowledge within higher education and to elevate African art music as a distinctive, valuable aspect of global culture. His research interests span music composition, Africanness, the formalization of indigenous African music knowledge, and the professionalization of indigenous instruments.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1514880918
The electronic version can also be downloaded here: https://upmonographs.up.ac.za/index.php/ESI/catalog/book/39
2025-08-06
Published by William Collins, Sons, and Co., 1871.
The History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, was first published in 1835, in Paris. The book investigates the events leading to the Protestant Reformation, focusing on significant figures, including Martin Luther, and the socio-religious climate of the time. It aims to present a comprehensive view of how the Reformation arose as a response to the corruption and excesses of the Catholic Church, ultimately reshaping Christian beliefs and society.
~Project Gutenberg
Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné was a Swiss Protestant minister and historian who lived from 1794 to 1872.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/221568611
2025-07-30
Published by Chris van Rensburg Publications, 2014.
From the Preface: “The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is responsible for the statutory regulation of the Engineering Profession in South Africa through registration of engineering practitioners in four professional categories and in nine main disciplines, and in a growing number of specified categories. ECSA is proud to have been formally associated with the Engineering Profession in South Africa since its inception in 1969 and felt it appropriate to document the ‘Decades of Engineering Excellence’ in a single publication.
Engineering Excellence does not only reveal itself in the achievements that are tangible, but also in the quality of engineering education and in the competence with which the engineering profession is regulated.
This book […] provide[s] a brief overview of engineering mainly in South Africa but also globally, of the categories, disciplines and sub-disciplines of engineering which are predominantly practiced in South Africa, of engineering achievements in the various disciplines and combinations of disciplines in South Africa, of the education of engineering practitioners in South Africa, and to provide a reference to the statutory and voluntary legs of the engineering profession in South Africa.
The excellence of engineering over many decades is not only described in the five chapters of the book but also in the profiles of companies and bodies that supported the publication of the book as sponsors.
Decades of Engineering Excellence will serve as a source of information and to introduce amongst others learners of all ages to Engineering and to encourage them to take up one of many rewarding career paths in Engineering.”
du Toit Grobler completed the BSc (Electrotechnical Engineering) degree at the University of Pretoria in 1971, and had a long and successful multi-discipline (electrical, electronic, mechanical, chemical and civil engineering) career, working for companies including Iscor, General Electric USA, Sappi Ltd. He served on numerous professional associations, and as a member of numerous ECSA committees.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/972732933
2025-07-23
Published by Tafelberg, an imprint of NB Publishers, 2022.
BLURB: “In 1976, following the wave of student uprisings starting in Soweto, Mapetla Mohapi was the first Black Consciousness leader to be killed in detention. Mapetla's comrade Steve Biko tried to get justice for Mapetla, but then he too was killed. Mapetla's widow, Nohle Mohapi-Mbetshu, has been fighting for truth and justice ever since. She was the first to testify at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Yet justice still eludes the family.
After his death, Thenjiwe Mtintso, a colleague to Mapetla who was arrested in the same month, was tortured by an officer she believes was involved in his murder. But Judge Smalberger of the Eastern Cape Division later deemed her account of how his death was demonstrated to her by the apartheid police invalid, and her evidence too was invalidated. The title of this book is based on what the officer said to her as a threat.
In this book, Zikhona Valela battles the erasure of this remarkable story, weaving together the words of comrades and family, mapping new understandings of the Black Consciousness Movement and of our shared history.”
Zikhona Valela is an historian. She has contributed writing for various publications including New Frame, The Johannesburg Review of Books and the Mail & Guardian. She holds a Master of Arts in History from Rhodes University.
The Special Collections copy of this book was donated by Mr Modisa Khosie, the Department of Library Services’ Deputy Director: Information Resources, Access & Operations
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1313902948
2025-07-16
Published by I.B. Tauris in association with the Centre for Conflict Resolution, 2018.
BLURB: “The African Union (AU) has been a major factor in establishing peace, security and development in Africa. Today, however, the intranational body is struggling in the midst of a perceived dissipating appetite for supporting continental institutions. Previously seen as the panacea to Africa’s continuing problems with violence and corruption in society, under the slogan ‘African Solutions to African Problems’, the African Union, this book argues, seems to have run its course.
Recognising that the measured successes in political emancipation which have been recorded across the African continent do not seem to have translated into economic and social gains for its 1.2 billion citizens, the AU adopted a new development framework dubbed ‘Agenda 2063’. The framework calls on African leaders to rediscover the ‘Pan-African’ spirit and to create the ‘Africa Africans want’. In practice this means a new focus and engagement with the African Diaspora, tapping into their strong track record in economic development. As this book shows, however, there remain deep differences over the meaning, timing and sequencing of Pan-African integration. Indeed, different member states have different understandings of the role of the African Union itself.
This essential handbook, from one of the leading research institutions on the continent, seeks to uncover what some of those understandings are and why the unification project has remained so elusive.”
Tony Karbo is Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution in Cape Town. He has worked extensively in Africa with numerous organisations working in conflict zones, facilitating training in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and in monitoring and evaluating election processes and programmes. Karbo holds a master’s degree and doctorate from the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, Virginia.
Tim Murithi is Professor Extraordinary of African Studies at the Centre for African Studies, University of Free State, and Head of Justice and Reconciliation in the Africa Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Cape Town. He has over 23 years of experience in peace, security, governance, transitional justice, and development in Africa, has authored over 85 journal articles, book chapters, and policy papers, and is author and editor of nine books.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1012431518
2025-07-09
Published by Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2002.
BLURB: “The illustrated history of the 1879 Zulu War from the Isandhlwana disaster to the famous defence of Rorke’s Drift, the battle of Gingindhlovu (‘Gin, Gin, I love you’ to the British soldiers of the time) and the ultimate defeat of the Zulu army at Ulundi. Michael Barthorp’s vivid account of this famous campaign is supported by a superb collection of early war photographs and includes order of battle for both the British and Zulu armies.”
Michael Barthorp was a British historian and writer, specialising in military history and military uniforms. He produced over 27 titles focussing on the British military and military campaigns.
The Special Collections copy of this book is a review copy with editorial annotations.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1511277918
2025-07-02
Published by Jacana Media, 2023.
BLURB: “This riveting study shows how the intersection of technology and politics has shaped South African history since the 1960s. It is impossible to understand South Africa’s energy crisis without knowing this history. Faeeza Ballim’s deeply researched book challenges the easy assumptions and beliefs made regarding the crisis.
This exceptional book highlights the importance of technology to our understanding of South African history, and challenges the idea that the technological state corporations were proxies for the apartheid government. While a part of the broader national modernization project under apartheid, these corporations also set the stage for worker solidarity and trade union organization in the Waterberg and elsewhere in the country. Faeeza Ballim argues that the state corporations, their technology, and their engineers enjoyed ambivalent relationships with the governments of their time. And in the democratic era, while Eskom has been caught up in the scourge of government corruption, it has retained a degree or organizational autonomy and offered a degree of resistance to those who sought further corruption.”
Faeeza Ballim is a senior lecturer in history and head of the department at the University of Johannesburg. Her research interests lie at the intersection of key themes in African history and Science and Technology Studies. She is the co-editor of a multi-volume series entitled Translating Technology in Africa.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1394390902
2025-06-25
Published by The Stationery Office, 2003.
BLURB: “Commonwealth Education Partnerships is an essential overview of the development of education systems in the Commonwealth, focussing on international collaborations and on the partnerships in member countries between government, NGOs and the private sector in education. As the official publication for the 15th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers, the 2004 edition covers both the current trends in education and development and the main themes of the meeting, focussing on access, inclusion and achievement as well as some of the challenges being faced in terms of partnering and financing development. It includes:
Professor Stephen A. Matlin was Director of the Education and Health Departments at the Commonwealth Secretariat and subsequently Chief Education Advisor in the UK Department for International Development. He was a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Educational Studies, Oxford University, and is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, Secretary and Head of Strategic Development for the International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development, Senior Fellow in the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva and a member of the Advisory Council of the RISE Institute (Institute for Reconstruction and International Security through Education).
This publication was donated to Special Collections by Prof Caroline Nicholson, Registrar of the University of Pretoria.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/54478053
2025-06-18
Pan African University Press, 2020.
BLURB: “This book provides a regional perspective of the South African diaspora’s involvement in the history of southern and eastern Africa, specifically in the countries known today as Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It positions the 19th century migrations and interaction with other people in the region within the broader regional demographic, political and economic dynamics of the nineteenth century. Accordingly, the book reinforces the assertion that the migrations are better understood as a regional or continental phenomenon rather than as an external intrusion into the societies concerned. The regional perspective is explained by making reference to the dynamic and changing nature of all the societies in southern and eastern Africa during the nineteenth century. It is argued that the migrations were an integral part of those dynamics, even though the Ndebele, Ngoni, and ‘Shangaan’ originally came from an area which is now called KwaZulu-Natal in the Republic of South Africa. This is, however, not to discount or belittle the phenomenal character of the movement in question, especially as defined by the coverage of a vast territory which extends from southern to eastern Africa in just over one generation.”
The Road to Democracy in South Africa multi-volume series: The South African Democracy Education Trust (SADET) was established in 2000 as a Project Trust in response to President Thabo Mbeki’s concern about the paucity of historical material on the arduous and complex road to South Africa’s peaceful political settlement after decades of violent conflict. SADET’s mission is to examine and analyse historical events leading to the negotiated settlement and democracy in South Africa with a focus on:
The study will result in the publication of research covering successive decades in the run up to the first democratic elections in South Africa.
SADET is also committed to examining and analysing the ‘pre-colonial’ and colonial history of South Africa. This volume is the first volume in the series to focus on this period.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/55800334
2025-06-10
Published by Grosvenor Books, 1977.
BLURB: “The extraordinary range of people in this book—black, white, brown; Dutch Reformed Church dominees and ANC nationalists, plattelanders and protest marchers—cover the spectrum of Southern Africa. Can these people find a future together? They believe they can—and they tell how they have put it to the proof.”
Peter Hannon was born in Northern Ireland in 1927. A volunteer with Moral Re-Armament (now known as Initiatives of Change), Peter worked and lived in Nigeria, the UK, Northern Ireland and South Africa. He devoted his life to building bridges between antagonists–both in his native Northern Ireland and in South Africa. In South Africa, between 1971 and 1985, his home became a meeting point for people of all races, a matter of interest to the security police. He died in 2017 at the age of 89.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/7891217
2025-05-28
Published by AOSIS, 2017.
FROM THE FOREWORD: "This book is a celebration of 100 years of Theology in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria. A historical and futuristic overview is created with perspectives from the past, present and future. Authors are all personnel or research associates of the Faculty. The past is not only colourfully portrayed with societal and academic contributions, but it also assumes the malfunctions, ill-behaviour and disappointment of church and theology in the South African context over 100 years.”
Prof. Dirk J. Human is Deputy Dean and Head of Old Testament Studies at the University of Pretoria. Here he was lecturer (1992-1994), senior lecturer (1995-1996), associate professor (1997-1998) and Professor (1999-current). From 2000 to 2012, he was Head of Religion Studies and Professor in Old Testament Studies He was Editor-in-Chief of the open-access, online theological journal Verbum et Ecclesia (2001-2015) and chairperson of the South African Editors' Forum for Theology and Relate Journals. He has visited several national and international universities and academic institutions, presented papers at national and international congresses and published extensively. This includes the publication of several scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals, chapters in books and books (as author or co-author). His scholarly interests focus, inter alia, on Hebrew Poetry Psalms, Hermeneutics, Old Testament Theology and History of Religion(s). Several masters, doctoral and post-doctoral candidates have completed their projects under his supervision. He is a member of various national and international scientific societies and is a DAAD and Alexander von Humboldt alumnus.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1020081964
2025-05-21
Published by His Majesty’s Stationery Office 1943.
From the Foreword: “This record contains some account of the combined operations in general and also of the exploits of the Combined Operations Command. A combined operation is one in which two or more of the Fighting Services co-operate in order to strike the enemy with the maximum of effect at a chosen place and a chosen moment.
With this end in view, a Combined Operations Command was formed, whose personnel consists of officers and other ranks of the three Fighting Services. Its primary function is to provide training for amphibious warfare, which comprises all kinds of offensive action from small raids to large assault landings. It is also the task of this Command to plan and execute raids on the coasts of the enemy.
The Combined Operations Command has its own troops, of which the Commandos from a part. But many other troops pass through its hands; not only British and Dominion but also American troops, and those of other Allies—the Czechs, the Poles, the Norwegians, the Dutch, the Belgians, the Fighting French—all of them from the array of the United Nations.
Here is set down the story of a series of operations of which the end is not yet. In some of them, the Combined Operations Command did not play the chief part, but served as one of the component elements involved. Whether these operations failed or succeeded has not been taken into account. They are presented as they happened. The motto of those who carried them out and who will play the leading part in those to come is the motto of the Combine Operations Command—'United we conquer.’”
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/559118691
2025-05-14
Published by Centre for Sexualities, Aids & Gender, 2023.
From the Foreword: “This monograph provides a detailed and critical exploration of the intersections between gendered (in)equalities and physical space in Zimbabwe. Its author […] offers a rich and nuanced insight as to the complex interplays between ‘gender’ and issues of power and (in)justice in the country: taking the reader on a layered journey that surfaces the historic legacies of colonialism on land occupation and distribution, and the implications of national land reforms for gendered power dynamics.
At its core, Just Gender, the project from which this monograph flows, seeks to question, disrupt and interrupt the status quo, inviting readers to engage with counter-discourses and alternative evidence in the stories that are told about gender and development. It is with a critical interdisciplinary voice that Dr Sibanda supports not only the epistemological imperatives of Just Gender, but also wider calls to think critically about the intimate connections between gender and contemporary power relations. Our hope is that the book may serve as a catalyst for critical thinking, dialogue, transformation and action in response to ‘gender-land’ issues characterising Zimbabwe and beyond, moving us a step closer to creating a world in which every individual, regardless of their gendered identity, can exercise their right to land, autonomy, and self-determination.”
Darlington Sibanda is a postdoctoral research fellow at the African Climate and Development Initiative, at the University of Cape Town. He holds a PhD in Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies from PLAAS, University of the Western Cape. His research interests include climate change, poverty and inequality, land tenure systems, water services delivery and social policy. He has more than 15 years of experience in the education and research sectors.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1464126401
2025-05-07
Published by Evangel Publishing House, 1978.
The Pan African Christian Leadership Assembly (PACLA), was a significant gathering of Christian leaders from across Africa, held in Nairobi from December 9-19, 1976. It aimed to address the contemporary issues facing the continent, including the ongoing political and social upheaval, the rise of new ideologies, and the evolving cultural landscape. The book, published in 1978, serves as a record of the assembly's deliberations and recommendations, providing a comprehensive analysis of these challenges and proposing practical steps for addressing them.
This volume is a compilation of the speeches presented at the gathering and highlights the challenges faced by Christians in Africa, providing a response in the form of pastoral guidance, evangelism, and social action. The book explores the theme of "Facing the New Challenges" from a theological perspective, offering insights into the issues facing Christians in Africa
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/5300138
2025-04-30
Published by CSA&G, 2022.
From the Foreword: “Drawing on the experiences of Just Gender project partners in South Africa and Zimbabwe, the authors of this monograph provide a critical reading of the impact of Coronavirus on gender in/justice. The monograph surfaces key insights as to the challenges faced (and mitigating strategies used) by social justice organisations as they have attempted to adapt to the pandemic and continue their work towards gender justice. Continuing to work closely with communities during the pandemic has not been easy, as evidenced by the realities shared by the project partners and their constructions of numerous obstacles that threaten sustainable community engagement work.
Utilising theory from the global south, the authors situate the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic withing a wider context of neocolonialism and neoliberalism that have amplified the gendered, racialised, socioeconomic and sexualised inequalities underpinning gender inequality and gendered violence.
A key contribution of this monograph is the author’s detailed analysis of the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has (re)surfaced challenges faced by social justice organisations, and the meaningful commentary of the multiple ways in which social justice organsations adapt themselves to face the challenges. At a broader level, the monograph is also a testament to the abilities of people working in the social justice sector to demonstrate resilience, strength, flexibility and perseverance when they are faced with complex and layered adversities.”
Simone Peters is a postdoctoral fellow on the A.W. Mellon funded First Thousand Days of Life project. Her PhD focused on the ways in which ‘coloured’ bodies make sense of their gendered and racial experiences and how they construct their community in post-apartheid South African. Her work makes use of Photovoice methods alongside narrative and ethnographical methodologies. She is interested in black masculinities, intersectionality and decolonial and narrative methodologies.
Refiloe Makama is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cape Town. Her PhD study on the constructions, negotiations and performances of gender through lobolo exemplifies her transdisciplinary interest in people’s everyday constructions of gendered identity and the workings of power. Her work is located within African-centred feminist psychology and employs narrative methodology. Her interest includes African psychology, critical gender studies with a articular interest in masculinities, love, African feminism and decolonial research.
Gabriela Pinheiro is a Critical Social and Psychological Researcher. She holds a Master’s in Critical Social and Psychological Research from the University of the Witwatersrand, and an internship in Research Psychology from the UNISA Institute for Social and Health Sciences. Currently, Gabriela works as a Researcher and Project Manager for the Centre of Sexualities, AIDS and Gender at the University of Pretoria, specialising in work that centres intersectional identity studies, LGBTQIA+ activism, gender justice and feminisms. Her first book, titled Gender and Germs: Unmasking War Frames in South Africa’s Militarised Response to COVID-19 was co-authored with Professor Peace Kiguwa and explores the military-gender nexus in technologies of representing pandemics.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1371952201
2025-04-23
Published by Oxford University Press, 1977.
From the Preface: “The political stance of most newspapers is reflected in two features: the leader and the cartoon. Very few readers exert themselves to follow the closely reasoned arguments of the leader; very few, however, fail to take in the instant political taunt of the cartoon.
In the study and teaching of history, source materials are becoming more and more widely used. Historians are looking at the political cartoon increasingly for clues about the contemporary attitudes to historical events and the way in which public response to them was formed. For these purposes, the political cartoon has certain significant qualities:
Brevity: With a few simple lines, the cartoonist can summarise a vast and complex situation.
Scope: The cartoon records events, and also the attitudes take to the events.
Significance: Because the cartoonist often attempts to lead public opinion, one could say that he may be making history no less than are the subjects of his pen.
Wit: The cartoon expresses serious views in a light-hearted manner.
In fact, the power wielded by the cartoonist makes the cartoon an interesting area of study. For this reason, great pains have been taken to provide an entirely balanced viewpoint, drawing equally from both English and Afrikaans newspapers, and all shades of political opinion.
Finally, the reader should ask a few questions when looking at a cartoon. Why was the cartoon drawn? For what cross-section of opinion does it speak? How accurately does it represent the situation? Was the issue as important then as it seems now? And will it be as important in fifty years’ time.”
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/3628541
2025-04-16
Published by CSA &G Press, 2022.
From the Foreword: “In this third iteration of the Social Justice Essay Writing Competition, we […] asked [young people] to reflect on life under Covid, using the terms “viruses, villains, victims and victors” to shape their contributions. We are deeply aware that viruses are seldom just germs that equally attack humans; rather we think of them as “exposers”, revealing socio-economic, gender, health and other inequalities. Illness and disease often come with social and moral significance, easily tapping into prejudice and bias, leading to questions of blame (villains) and othering. And when some people survive a life-threatening illness, we turn to a range of explanations to understand how they got through or why they were spared. Luck, coincidence, faith, access to excellent health care and personal will, all played a role in how people understood why their loved ones did or did not make it. In the end, who were the winners, the victors? Was it those who got through unscathed, those who survived despite being ventilated, the ones who now endure long-Covid, the pharmaceutical companies who had the technology and resources to win the vaccine race, the savvy tender opportunists who made a fortune out of misfortune?
Covid forced every society to ask itself some important questions about social justice, about social cohesion, about what it means to be human.
The young people of South Africa who responded to our call for submissions had lots to say about these and other questions. Their submissions (poetry, stories, think pieces) spoke to forms of social isolation and mental health challenges, reflected on being a teenager in a challenged education system, shared the pain of loss and grief, asked difficult questions about who wins and who loses in the health lottery, made links between xenophobia and health blaming, expressed very deep anxieties about safety and security, and even asked us to explore gender relations and look gender-based violence in its face.
When you read this book, you will be transported back to the time of lockdown, complete with the anxiety and tension that accompanied it, as well as the laughter and camaraderie that helped us during those difficult days. The essays interact critically with a wide range of themes, while the poetry and stories will make you laugh, cry, and become immersed in fantastical worlds. Their works remind us of the ability of literature to reflect shared experiences, challenge long-held beliefs, heal, and inspire hope. Even if you disagree with what they have to say, they hope that this book will make you feel seen.
They are a compelling and vivid snapshot of the impact of Covid on young people and we invite you to think, reflect, share and act on these insights.”
Dr Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo graduated with an MBChB (with distinction) from the University of Pretoria in 2020. She subsequently earned a Master’s degree in Public Health with distinction from the University of Cape Town in 2023, supported by the prestigious Mandela-Rhodes scholarship.
Pierre Brouard is a research associate at the CSA&G. He is a registered Clinical Psychologist. He has worked in HIV since the mid-1980s and at the CSA&G since 2001 as a manager, researcher, writer, facilitator and teacher. His interests include sexualities, gender, diversity, transformation and human rights. From 2001, Pierre was the Deputy Director of the CSA&G and acted as the Director from January 2023 until his retirement in August 2024. His continued work with the CSA&G primarily focuses on the Africa-Europe Cluster of Research Excellence for Health, Gender and Sexualities.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1371804419
2025-04-09
Published by South African Heritage Publishers, 2022.
The Ancestral Voices Collection and Heritage Preservation Project has been undertaken by South African Heritage Publishers in partnership with the Special Collections Unit at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Library Services. The aim of the project is to make the Van Warmelo Collection—a large collection of indigenous manuscripts describing various histories, traditions and ways of life—accessible to a wider audience. These manuscripts were written in the 1930s and 1950s by some 186 authors, most of whom were teachers, ministers and traditional leaders. All of the authors wrote about aspects of the history and culture of their people, many after interviewing the then elderly, and recording their experiences and the information passed to them by their parents and grandparents. For the first time, South Africans can read the earliest recorded oral accounts of events that took place in South and southern Africa as viewed from the perspective of indigenous people. The elderly who were interviewed, and frequently named, provide accounts of an oral tradition stretching back to the late 1700s and early 1800s.
This volume focuses on a selection of writings from the Van Warmelo Collection on traditional medicine, divination, and related cultural practices of Limpopo, translated into English from the original manuscripts in Xitsonga and Sesotho sa Leboa.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1389431267
2025-04-02
Published by the Department of Institutional Advancement, University of Pretoria, 2022.
From the Introduction: “Sustainable development is integral to the purpose and practices of UP. It is embedded into our institutional strategy, shaping the way our core functions of teaching, learning, research and engagement pursue sustainable outcomes and impacts for the public good.
This reflects our role as a national asset seeking to make a significant and positive difference to our country, continent and the world at large.
This Sustainable Development Report represents the “flagship” document of the emerging suite of UP’s sustainability reporting, and provides an overarching view of our activities and engagement in the sustainable development space. It follows from the first Sustainable Development Report, released in November 2020, and the Progress Report on our contributions to the SDGs, published in November 2021.
[…] This report seeks to be an honest reflection on our progress—celebrating successes, and acknowledging challenges and opportunities for improvement. While the logic and flow follows the initial 2019 Sustainable Development Report, important shifts include expanding coverage of stakeholder engagement and student life; focusing less on our approach, where this was covered in detail previously; and a stronger presentation of metrics for a more tangible indication of our performance.”
The Department of Institutional Advancement is responsible for the overall management of the University of Pretoria’s strategic marketing, advertising and branding; managing UP’s official communications channels (including the IT architecture of the official website); keeping in contact with our alumni; and raising funds. The department communicates UP’s research to the public through the media and social media, and is responsible for all the official, corporate events hosted by UP.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1419787079
2025-03-26
Published by 30 Degrees South Publishers, 2023.
BLURB: “A narrative and analysis of 123 battles of the Boer War, including battles that were fought without bullets as unbeknown to many – battles are not only fought on the blood-stained battlefield.
Each chapter is assigned to one of six phases of the Boer War.
• The Boer offensive – which ended within a month
• The 1st British offensive – a failure
• 2nd British offensive – successful
• The Boers losing the conventional war
• The Boers initiate guerrilla tactics
• The British counter strategy to guerrilla tactics
The last phase caused the most emotional destruction and ended the Boer way of life. The book explains how the Boers had extraordinarily little strategy and discipline while some of their brilliant tactics resulted in defensive victories. The British had a strategy and discipline but some of their inept tactics should have resulted in certain generals being found guilty of a war crime.”
Guy Keeling has always had a keen interest in the second South African War (Anglo-Boer War). He served with the SADF Infantry in the Caprivi Strip on three occasions. He has worked in the corporate world until his retirement. Currently, he is working on small group presentations on the battles and tragedies of the Boer War.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1428776321
2025-03-19
Published by the Architecture Archives at the University of Pretoria (AAUP), 2021.
BLURB: “This catalogue features archival photographs related to the work of four Dutch immigrant architects: Mello Damstra, Ed Payens, John van de Werke and Jaap van Niftrik. Their various design works in the C20th South African context illustrate hybridity and international exchanges in architecture and serve as evidence of a unique shared architectural heritage.
The Architecture from the Archives series highlights drawings, photographs and other documents from the AAUP collections and related architectural research projects. Archival objects are positioned to be read as ‘texts’ in their own right, but also introduced and interpreted as part of architectural themes and discourses. The aim is to open the archives to a broader audience and place its valuable content at the center of discussions about South African architectural history.”
Johan Swart holds a master's degree in architecture and heritage studies. At the University of Pretoria, he teaches architectural history and leads a heritage-focused design studio for postgraduate students. As curator of the architecture archives at the university, he is also responsible for the safeguarding and interpretation of significant historical drawing collections. His academic interests include the history of design, archival practice, cultural landscapes and adaptive re-use.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1331665983
2025-03-12
Published by Faber and Faber, [1959] 1971.
BLURB: “An amazingly unembittered autobiography of a black man growing up in South Africa. No easy indignation, but the reader us closely involved in the boy’s realization of the injustices behind the poverty, brutality and fear. Honest and with an open sense of humour.”
~ The Observer on first publication in 1959.
Down Second Avenue was banned in South African after it’s publication in 1959 and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1969. This copy was recently donated to our Special Collections.
Es'kia Mphahlele, born on 17 December 1919, was a South African writer, educationist, artist and activist celebrated as the Father of African Humanism and one of the founding figures of modern African literature. He died on the 27th of October, 2008.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1315540077
2025-03-05
Blackbird Books, 2018.
BLURB: “Born to Kwaito considers the meaning of kwaito music now. Now, not only as in after 1994 or the Truth Commission, but also as a place in the psyche of black people in post-apartheid South Africa.
The collection of essays tackles the changing meaning of the genre after its decline and its ever-contested relevance. Through rigorous historical analysis as well as threads of narrative journalism, Born to Kwaito interrogates issues of artistic autonomy, the politics of language in the music and kwaito as part of a strand within the larger feminist moment in South Africa.
Candid and insightful interviews from the genre’s foremost innovators and torchbearers, such as Mandla Spikiri, Kabelo Mabalane, Robbie Malinga and Lance Stehr provide unique historical context to kwaito music’s greatest highs, most captivating hits and devastating lows. Born to Kwaito offers up a history of the genre from below through its conversations with musicians and fans, engineers, photographers and filmmakers who bore witness to a revolution.
Living in a place between criticism and biography, Born to Kwaito merges academic theories and rigorous journalism to offer a new understanding into how the genre influenced other art forms such as fashion, TV and film. The book also reflects on how some of the music’s best hits have found new life through the mouths of local hip hop’s current kingmakers and opened kwaito up to a new generation.
Highlights from the book include an essay dealing with the history of Tsotsitaal and Scamtho and an inside look at Mapaputsi’s life and the demons that drove him away from music. Esinako Ndabeni writes about the umbilical cords that bind kwaito together with a history of violence and Sihle Mthembu breaks down the endearing influence of TKZee’s Halloween.
The book does not pretend to be an exhaustive history of the genre but rather a present, active analysis of that history as it settles and finds its meaning.”
Esinako Ndabeni pursued her degree in international relations and anthropology at the University of Cape Town, with the intension of studying anthropology in postgraduate studies with a specific focus on popular culture in South Africa, along with its socio-political importance. She is the founder of the blog Don't Call Me Kaffir—a blog which has primarily been an attempt at bringing kwaito music into the forefront of black discourse on blackness. Born to Kwaito is her debut book.
Sihle MTHEMBU is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker born in Mooi River in the Natal Midlands. In 2009 Mthembu enrolled in the Durban University of Technology where he graduated with a BTech in journalism. He has worked as an art critic, a business journalist and a churner of various types of online banter.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1037073482
2025-02-26
Published by CSA &G Press, 2021.
BLURB: “Social Justice Stories: No Longer Silent on GBV is the result of a partnership between young people, the South African Schools Debating Board and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) at the University of Pretoria—through its Just Leaders student volunteer programme.
The energy, enthusiasm and sense of justice in young people is infectious, and critical to a functioning society based on freedom of speech, fairness and dignity, determined to redress the imbalances of the past.”
Dr Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo graduated with an MBChB (with distinction) from the University of Pretoria in 2020. She subsequently earned a Master’s degree in Public Health with distinction from the University of Cape Town in 2023, supported by the prestigious Mandela-Rhodes scholarship.
Pierre Brouard is a research associate at the CSA&G. He is a registered Clinical Psychologist. He has worked in HIV since the mid-1980s and at the CSA&G since 2001 as a manager, researcher, writer, facilitator and teacher. His interests include sexualities, gender, diversity, transformation and human rights. From 2001, Pierre was the Deputy Director of the CSA&G and acted as the Director from January 2023 until his retirement in August 2024. His continued work with the CSA&G primarily focuses on the Africa-Europe Cluster of Research Excellence for Health, Gender and Sexualities.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1315540112
2025-02-19
Published by Naledi, 2020.
UIT DIE VOORWOORD: “In 2019 is die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (SAAWK) 110 jaar oud en is dit 'n behoefte om opnuut te kyk na die kunsversameling van die Akademie. Prof. Alex Duffey, die voorsitter van die Kommissie vir Visuele Kunste, het die uitnodiging aanvaar om kort lewensketse van die meer as 50 kunstenaars wie se werke tans in besit is van die Akademie op te stel en ook om hul werke kortliks te bespreek. Hierdie boek is saamgestel vir die 110-jarige herdenking van die SAAWK.
Aanvanklik was die verwagting dat kunstenaars wat toekennings van die SAAWK ontvang van hul kunswerke aan die SAAWK sou skenk en van die kunstenaars het dit ook gedoen. Prof. Duffey toon in sy bespreking van die individuele stukke waar moontlik is telkens aan wie die skenkings gemaak het.
Die SAAWK hoop dat dié versameling in die 21ste eeu steeds aangevul sal word deur Suid-Afrikaanse kunswerke wat ons uiteenlopende kunsverlede weerspieël en vir ons nageslag tot verryking sal dien. Die werk van gerekende kunstenaars in hul eie tyd soos Anton van Wouw, Maggie Laubser, Coert Steynberg, Irma Stern en ander het reeds die toets van die tyd deurstaan. Die SAAWK se strewe is dat eietydse kunstenaars se werk deurlopend in die kunsversameling opgeneem sal word.”
FROM THE FOREWORD: The Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (SAAWK - South African Academy for Science and Arts) turned 110 years old in 2019 and there was a need to take a fresh look at the art collection of the Academy. Prof. Alex Duffey, chairman of the Commission for Visual Arts, accepted the invitation to compile short biographical sketches of the more than 50 artists whose works are currently in the possession of the Academy and also to briefly discuss their works. This book was compiled to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the SAAWK.
Initially, it was expected that artists who received awards from the SAAWK would donate their artworks to the SAAWK and some of the artists did so. In his discussion of the individual pieces, Prof. Duffey shows, where possible, who made donations.
The SAAWK hopes that this collection will continue to be enriched in the 21st century by South African works of art that reflect our diverse artistic past and will serve to enrich our descendants. The work of renowned artists of their time such as Anton van Wouw, Maggie Laubser, Coert Steynberg, Irma Stern and others has already stood the test of time. The SAAWK strives for the continuous inclusion of contemporary artists in the art collection.”
Prof. Alexander Edward Duffey was a lecturer in Art History, Museology and Art Education at the University of Pretoria from 1977 to 2004, and later also head of the Department of Art History. From 2004 until his retirement in 2012 he was Chief Curator of the University of Pretoria’s Art and Heritage Collections. Prof. Duffey has published regularly in academic journals and delivered numerous papers at national and international art conferences. His most recent books include Frans David Oerder (1867-1944): Anglo-Boereoorlogtekeninge en skilderye (2017) and Olifantsfontein Potteries 1907-1962 (2018).
This book was donated to Special Collections by Prof Duffey.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1376491083
2025-02-12
Published by Imprimatvr, 2024.
BLURB: “Shaka kaSenzangakhona (ca. 1781-1828), the first king of the Zulus, is one of the most intriguing figures in the history of Southern Africa. What we today know about him, is determined by the sources about him that developed over a period of nearly 200 years. Other than the oral tradition, only a few of the earliest sources of a textual nature on Shaka and his times have survived, while later sources sometimes tend to distort, slant or fictionalise the available information. Hence, we know very little about what Shaka looked like. One of the few drawings of him, namely that of James Saunders King in Nathaniel Isaacs Travels and adventures in Eastern Africa (1836), for example, contains various unlikely features, but has been used repeatedly by later artists for reference or inspiration.
The question of the accuracy of sources on Shaka confronts contemporary historians and literary critics alike. For the historian, the reliability of sources is even more important than for the literary critic, who often works with texts that have wilfully misrepresented figures and events. The ‘historic distance’ of the present from Shaka's life and times inevitably distorts all current Shaka texts, as Dan Wylie argues. Texts written about Shaka during the era of British colonialism and apartheid are all examples of the way later perspectives tainted a clear understanding of Shaka and his times.”
Johann Lodewyk Marais is a historian, literary critic and writer. He has published fourteen books of poetry and two books on the history of the Eastern Free State town of Harrismith and surrounds. He has also published travel books on Mozambique and Kenya, and numerous academic and popular articles. Currently he is a research associate at the Department of History and Heritage Studies of the University of Pretoria.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1477883623
2025-02-05
Published by ESI Press, 2024.
SYNOPSIS: “In a time when the world stood still, and the regular patterns of life were interrupted by an unforeseen force, this collection of chorale preludes came into being. The Lockdown-Büchlein is more than a set of compositions; it is a reflection of a period when the world was quiet, and the echoes of our deepest thoughts and the ageless tunes of faith were the only sounds that filled the silence. The title pays homage to Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), whose Orgelbüchlein has long been a foundational work in organ literature. Like Bach’s collection, this new work aspires to contribute to both the current moment and the future of organ music.”
Theo van Wyk is an Associate Professor of Music at theDepartment of Performing Arts (School of the Arts), University of Pretoria. He served as the Head of Department of UP Arts from 2015 to 2018.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1464946510
2025-01-29
Published by Jeff Woolgar, 2021.
Author’s Note: “This book is about the postal staff, referred to as officials in government papers, of the South African Republic in 1899/1900, who later applied for their pensions from the Transvaal authorities. They are listed here with as much information which could be assembled from official government published papers; noting their last appointment and salaries. Those re-employed following the fall of Johannesburg to British troops, eventually became officials in the Transvaal Civil Service; their salaries are examined and compared with those previously obtained under the Republic. Not all the South African Republic staff were employed by the British administration from 1900 onwards and new men were recruited or brought in from abroad to make up the shortfall. Prosperity was often ephemeral in both the South African Republic and later in the Transvaal, booms and depressions affecting much of the population, particularly married men in the larger towns. The Transvaal's Postmaster General exonerated and defended the concept of the married allowance to help these officials while also attempting to improve efficiency in all postal departments, which resulted in less promotional opportunity for officials recruited after 1902/3. Some of these improvements are cited and examples illustrated. During the Edwardian period, the Postal system pivoted around the General Post Office in Johannesburg where the administrative elite worked. The system would have been much improved but for the buildings which were often inadequate for the purpose, even long before the South African War.
Some of these are examined and illustrated and individual postal officials are listed under the office where they mostly worked. Their drop in wages after 1900 meant that men—there were no women recorded—had no choice but to accept or go hungry. However, some officials accepted government allowances which were given in kind, although this could affect their future circumstances. Having endured a constantly changing political climate, even with a pension, retirement could bring new financial problems and life changing decisions.”
Jeff Woolgar is an ex-officer of the Transvaal Study Circle and has published over 100 articles in their journal over the last 30 years. He recently started an independent Transvaal website. Jeff lives in the UK.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1377012324
2025-01-22
Published by Publiself Publishers, 2009.
From the Introduction: “The list of Nobel Laureates qualifying for inclusion in this book comes from that drawn up by the Israel Institute of Science and Technology. The book describes in great detail the 159 Jewish Nobel Laureates out of 781 Laureates over the period 1901 to 2005. This equates to 20.3% of the total Laureates. Each Laureate has a large photo and the biography of him/her is split into biographical details and Nobel Prize-Winning and other Pioneering Work. This equates to 26% of all Medicine Laureates, 25% of all Physics Laureates, 17.5% of all Chemistry Laureates, 35% of all Economic Laureates, 12% of all Literature Laureates, and 9.7% of all Peace Laureates.
The text on each Laureate begins with the year that they won the prize as well as their name. This is followed by the relevant part of the citation as published by the Nobel Committee that allocated the prize. Thereafter the text for each Laureate is split into two parts. The first records their biographical details. The second part is a description of the work and its relevance for which the award was made. Sometimes other work by the Laureate is also included, especially where this work has become meaningful.”
David Mordant is a retired veterinarian and stockmarket investor. He lives just ourside Johannesburg, South Africa, and in Vancouver, Canada.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1377006177
2025-01-15
Published by ESI Press, 2024.
BLURB: “The text is essentially a storyboard of the fund development process. It follows the stages, the techniques, and the tools involved in attracting and appreciating donor support that both makers and managers should find useful. But instead of being another macro journey through the duties of a fundraiser, this is more of a micro look at the individual responsibilities and descriptions. The variety of checklists, models, 70 accompanying illustrations, along with the downloadable templates help the reader navigate this journey.”
Peter Thuynsma began a parallel career in fundraising in 1976 in Denver, Colorado (USA) for that States largest Catholic parish. In Johannesburg he managed the Centre for Black Education and Research, and the Institute for Human Rights Education and was listed on the UN HRC'S Roster of Experts in Human Rights Education
Among others, he has served on the Board of the International Training Centre of Indigenous Peoples (ITCHP) in Nuuk, Greenland. He modernized and directed the fundraising function at the University of Pretoria and has been a consultant to several Southern and East African universities and local NGOs. He has also undertaken fundraising best practice tours of Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Columbia, New York, Fordham, and Georgia State universities.
He helped develop the first certificated course in Advancement Practice at the Rhodes University Business School, and most recently taught the Philanthropy and Fundraising module for the Wits Business School/CAPSI postgraduate diploma. Formerly Professor of African Literature and later Special Advisor to the Vice Chancellor at Wits University, he has published widely, and guest lecture: at local and international universities including Rutgers, Harvard, and SUNY (Binghamton).
He is the managing partner of Thuynsma Consulting, a fund development consultancy in Johannesburg.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1461736355
2025-01-08
Published by ESI Press, 2023.
BLURB: “Embark on a captivating journey through the enchanting world of time-series analyses with Fiction and Fable: Tales of Time-Series. This extraordinary collection of short stories, penned by undergraduate students from the prestigious Department of Statistics at the University of Pretoria, brings to life the fascinating concepts taught in the time-series analysis syllabus. What began as a mere optional assignment evolved into a remarkable book of stories that blend the realms of creativity and statistics. Stories such as The Shepherd and the Wolf or The Tale of the ARMA Warriors transport readers to the moments of comfort and delight that fables and fairytales hold for all. The fusion of imagination and analytical thinking invites readers to explore a magical realm where mathematical models intertwine with storytelling. Join us on a literary adventure where Fiction and Fable meet the captivating world of time-series, proving that the magic of storytelling knows no bounds.”
Johan Ferreira is an associate professor in the Department of Statistics, at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He is also the Junior Focus Area Coordinator for the Statistical Theory and Applied Statistics focus area of the Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Science, based at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He is an ASLP 41/4.2 fellow of Future Africa and in 2016, he was identified as one of the Top 200 South Africans under the age of 35 by the Mail & Guardian newspaper in the Education category.
Seite Makgai is a mathematical statistician and senior lecturer in the Department of Statistics at the University of Pretoria. Her qualifications include a BSc in Actuarial and Financial Management Sciences, BSc (Hons) and MSc in Mathematical Statistics. In 2020, she completed her PhD in Mathematical Statistics at the University of Pretoria, with publications that focus on fundamental research platforms.
Link to catalogue: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1464951225
2025-01-03