Source Library

109 digitised primary sources on South African history

The Present State of the Cape of Good Hope — Peter Kolbe, 1731 Cape Colony
An early European account of the Cape of Good Hope and its Khoikhoi inhabitants, translated from the German original. O…
A Voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, Towards the Antarctic Polar Circle, and Round the World — Anders Sparrman, 1785 Cape Colony
Swedish naturalist Anders Sparrman accompanied James Cook on his second voyage and later made two overland journeys fro…
A Narrative of Four Journeys into the Country of the Hottentots and Caffraria — William Paterson, 1789 Cape Colony
Scottish botanist William Paterson made four journeys from the Cape between 1777 and 1779, reaching further than most E…
An Account of Travels into the Interior of Southern Africa, Vol. I — John Barrow, 1801 Cape Colony
John Barrow, secretary to Lord Macartney at the Cape, undertook two major journeys into the interior in the late 1790s.…
An Account of Travels into the Interior of Southern Africa, Vol. II — John Barrow, 1804 Cape Colony
The second volume extends Barrow's account to Namaqualand and the northern frontier, including observations on Dutch se…
An Extract from the Rev. Mr. Kicherer's Narrative of his Mission in South Africa — J.J. Kicherer, 1804 Cape Colony
An early account of missionary work among the Khoikhoi and San peoples of the Cape Colony interior, one of the first sy…
Account of the Tribal Life and Customs of the Xhosa in 1807 — Ludwig Alberti, 1807 Cape Colony
Dutch officer Ludwig Alberti commanded the garrison at Fort Frederick (Port Elizabeth) in 1806-07 and produced this car…
Travels in Southern Africa, in the Years 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806 — Henry Lichtenstein, 1812 Cape Colony
German physician Lichtenstein served the Batavian governor at the Cape and made extensive journeys to the frontier. His…
Travels in South Africa: Undertaken at the Request of the Missionary Society — John Campbell, 1815 Cape Colony
Missionary Society director John Campbell undertook journeys into the South African interior, his first in 1813 taking …
Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, Vol. I — William John Burchell, 1822 Cape Colony
Burchell's account of his four-year journey through the South African interior (1811–1815) is one of the greatest trave…
Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, Vol. II — William John Burchell, 1824 Cape Colony
The second volume extends Burchell's journey northward into Tswana territories, providing the first detailed account of…
Travels and Adventures in Southern Africa — George Thompson, 1827 Cape Colony
Merchant George Thompson spent several years in southern Africa in the 1820s, travelling extensively beyond the colonia…
Researches in South Africa: Illustrating the Civil, Moral, and Religious Condition of the Native Tribes, Vol. II — John Philip, 1828 Cape Colony
The second volume ranges more widely across the frontier regions, covering Griqua communities, Tswana peoples, and patt…
Researches in South Africa: Illustrating the Civil, Moral, and Religious Condition of the Native Tribes, Vol. I — John Philip, 1828 Cape Colony
Dr John Philip, superintendent of the London Missionary Society in South Africa, documented conditions of Khoikhoi and …
Travels and Researches in Caffraria — Stephen Kay, 1833 Cape Colony
Wesleyan missionary Stephen Kay provides a detailed account of Xhosa society, the eastern frontier, and the first major…
Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa, Vol. I — Nathaniel Isaacs, 1836 Zulu Kingdom
Nathaniel Isaacs arrived at Port Natal in 1825 as a teenager and spent six years in the Zulu Kingdom, meeting Shaka on …
Narrative of a Journey to the Zoolu Country — Allen F. Gardiner, 1836 Dingane
Captain Allen Gardiner's account of his journey to seek permission from Dingane for missionary work in the Zulu kingdom…
Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa, Vol. II — Nathaniel Isaacs, 1836 Dingane
The second volume covers the reign of Dingane and the turbulent years following Shaka's assassination in 1828. It inclu…
The Record: Or, a Series of Official Papers Relative to the Condition and Treatment of the Native Tribes of South Africa — Donald Moodie, 1838 Cape Colony
Donald Moodie's extraordinary compilation of Dutch East India Company records, court proceedings, and official despatch…
Missionary Labours and Scenes in Southern Africa — Robert Moffat, 1842 Cape Colony
Robert Moffat spent fifty years at the Kuruman mission station and became the foremost missionary authority on Tswana p…
The Natal Papers: A Reprint of All Notices and Public Documents Connected with That Territory — John Charles Chase, 1843 Natal
A compilation of official documents, correspondence, and notices relating to the British annexation of Natal in 1843. I…
Narrative of an Exploratory Tour to the North-East of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope — Thomas Arbousset and François Daumas, 1846 Cape Colony
French missionaries Arbousset and Daumas journeyed through the Drakensberg with Moshoeshoe I's blessing. Their account …
History of the Colony of Natal, South Africa — William Clifford Holden, 1855 Natal
An early history of the British colony of Natal, covering its founding, the relationship between settlers and the Zulu …
Ten Weeks in Natal: A Journal of a First Tour of Visitation Among the Colonists and Zulu Kafirs of Natal — John William Colenso, 1855 Natal
Bishop Colenso's journal of his first tour of his new diocese. Colenso — later famous for his defence of the Zulu peopl…
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa — David Livingstone, 1857 Cape Colony
Livingstone's account of his sixteen years in southern Africa, culminating in his transcontinental journey from the Atl…
The Kafirs of Natal and the Zulu Country — Joseph Shooter, 1857 Early print
A missionary's detailed account of the customs, laws, social organisation, and way of life of the Nguni peoples of Nata…
A Zulu-Kafir Dictionary — J.L. Döhne, 1857 Early print
An etymological dictionary of the Zulu language by a Berlin Missionary Society linguist, with extensive illustrations a…
Correspondence between Sir G. Grey and the Secretary of State for the Colonies: Cape Colony, Natal — George Grey (Governor), 1857 Cape Colony
Official correspondence between Governor Sir George Grey and the Colonial Office on affairs in the Cape Colony and Nata…
A Compendium of Kafir Laws and Customs — John Maclean, 1858 Colonial rule
Compiled by the chief commissioner for British Kaffraria, this volume gathers reports from officials and missionaries o…
Imisebenzi yabatunywa — American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 1859 Early print
An early isiZulu mission publication recording the works and activities of the American Board missionaries among the Zu…
Grammar of the Zulu Language — John William Colenso, 1861 Early print
An early systematic grammar produced through missionary contact; essential for studying both the language and the encou…
The Basutos; or, Twenty-Three Years in South Africa — Eugène Casalis, 1861 Cape Colony
French missionary Eugène Casalis spent twenty-three years at Morija in Basutoland as the personal missionary to King Mo…
Inncwadi yokubala — Hermannsburg Missionsanstalt, 1864 Early print
An early isiZulu educational publication useful for studying nineteenth-century print culture, spelling and mission edu…
Amazulu: The Zulus, Their Past History, Manners, Customs, and Language — W. Holden, 1866 Early print
An early survey of Zulu history, customs, and language compiled from missionary contact and earlier published sources. …
Nursery Tales, Traditions, and Histories of the Zulus — Henry Callaway, 1868 Oral traditions
Zulu narratives printed with English translations and editorial notes. The collection and translation process must rema…
The Religious System of the Amazulu — Henry Callaway, 1868–1870 Belief and society
Statements concerning ancestry, divination and religious concepts, presented with translations and extensive editorial …
History of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope — Alexander Wilmot and John Chase, 1869 Colonial rule
One of the first comprehensive histories of the Cape Colony from a settler perspective, covering Dutch settlement throu…
Ten Years North of the Orange River: A Story of Everyday Life and Work Among the South African Tribes — John Mackenzie, 1871 Cape Colony
Mackenzie spent a decade as a missionary among Tswana peoples north of the Orange River. This account covers Tswana soc…
The Story of My Mission in South-Eastern Africa — William Shaw, 1872 Cape Colony
William Shaw founded the Wesleyan missionary chain of stations across the eastern Cape frontier into Natal. Covering hi…
A Brief Account of Bushman Folklore and Other Texts — Wilhelm H.I. Bleek, 1875 Oral traditions
Bleek's preliminary government report on his project of recording San oral literature and language from /Xam informants…
South Africa — Anthony Trollope, 1878 Colonial rule
The famous Victorian novelist visited South Africa in 1877, shortly before the discovery of gold. Trollope toured the C…
Zululand and the Zulus — W. C. Holden, 1879 Anglo-Zulu War
A missionary observer's account written as the war began, mixing sympathy for the Zulu with the frameworks of his era.
Alone among the Zulus — A plain woman, 1879 Anglo-Zulu War
A woman traveller's account of her journey through the Zulu country before and during the Anglo-Zulu War. The narrative…
Zululand and the Zulus — James Anson Farrer, 1879 Anglo-Zulu War
Written in the year of the British invasion, this account covers Zulu history, beliefs, military organisation, home lif…
The Norwegian Missionary Society: A Short Review of its Work among the Zulus — Norwegian Missionary Society, 1880 Early print
A review of Norwegian Lutheran missionary activities in Zululand from the 1840s onward, providing a Protestant Scandina…
History of the Zulu War and Its Origin — Frances E. Colenso and Edward Durnford, 1880 Anglo-Zulu War
A contemporary political history disputing official British explanations for the invasion of the Zulu kingdom.
Cetshwayo's Dutchman — Cornelius Vijn; edited by J. W. Colenso, 1880 Anglo-Zulu War
The journal of a Dutch trader in Zululand during the British invasion, reaching readers through translation and editori…
A Sketch of the Kafir and Zulu Wars: Guadana to Isandhlwana — Henry Hallam Parr, 1880 Anglo-Zulu War
A military officer connects the Cape Frontier Wars against the Xhosa with the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, tracing the patte…
The Story of the Zulu Campaign — W. Ashe; E.V. Wyatt-Edgell, 1880 Anglo-Zulu War
A military account of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 by two officers who served in the campaign. Covers strategy, major eng…
Tsuni-Goam: The Supreme Being of the Khoi-Khoi — Theophilus Hahn, 1881 Cape Colony
A pioneering study of Khoikhoi (Nama) religion, mythology, and oral tradition by the son of a Rhenish missionary who gr…
A Hunter's Wanderings in Africa — Frederick Courteney Selous, 1881 Colonial rule
Big-game hunter Frederick Selous spent years in the interior ranging through the Transvaal and into Matabeleland. His a…
Cetywayo and his White Neighbours — H. Rider Haggard, 1882 Anglo-Zulu War
A novelist and former colonial official examines the political background to the Anglo-Zulu War, the diplomatic positio…
Address by the Right Rev. J.W. Colenso, Lord Bishop of Natal — John William Colenso, 1882 Anglo-Zulu War
A church address by Colenso raising urgent questions about justice for the Zulu people in the aftermath of the Anglo-Zu…
Oceana, or England and Her Colonies — J.A. Froude, 1886 Colonial rule
Historian J.A. Froude visited South Africa in 1874 at the height of the confederation debate and produced this influent…
Austral Africa: Losing It or Ruling It — John Mackenzie, 1887 Cape Colony
Mackenzie's political work arguing for direct British protectorate rule over Bechuanaland, written amid Boer expansion …
Incwadi Yami; or, Twenty Years' Personal Experience in South Africa — John W. Matthews, 1887 Colonial rule
A vivid personal memoir covering twenty years in South Africa during the transformative diamond-mining era, including t…
The Annals of Natal, 1495 to 1845 — John Bird, 1888 Natal
A documentary compilation covering Natal's recorded history from the earliest Portuguese voyages through the founding o…
Natal and Zululand from Earliest Times — Bertram Mitford, 1892 Colonial rule
A colonial-era narrative history useful for understanding how late nineteenth-century British writers constructed the r…
Nada the Lily — H. Rider Haggard, 1892 Kingdom
A historical novel set during the reign of Shaka, drawing on missionary accounts and Zulu oral tradition. The book shap…
The Isizulu: A Revised Edition of A Grammar of the Zulu Language — Lewis Grout, 1893 Early print
A revised and expanded grammar of the Zulu language by an American Board missionary, with an introduction covering lang…
The Transvaal, Past and Present, and Its Future — John Verschoyle, 1896 Anglo-Boer War
A survey of the Transvaal Republic's history, present political situation, and likely future, written in the years of m…
British South Africa: A History of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope — Colin Turing Campbell, 1897 Cape Colony
A history of the Cape Colony from British conquest in 1795 to the 1820 settler period, including accounts of prominent …
Records of the Cape Colony — George McCall Theal (ed.), 1897 Cape Colony
Transcriptions of primary documents from the Public Record Office in London, covering the governance and administration…
The Story of an African Crisis: The Truth about the Jameson Raid and Johannesburg Conspiracies — Edmund Garrett and E.J. Edwards, 1897 Anglo-Boer War
An account of the Jameson Raid and the Johannesburg Reform Committee conspiracies of 1895–96, examining the political c…
Impressions of South Africa — James Bryce, 1898 Colonial rule
Travel observations and social commentary by the British statesman and jurist James Bryce, covering peoples, politics, …
South Africa of To-day — Francis Younghusband, 1898 Anglo-Boer War
Observations on South African political and social conditions on the eve of the Anglo-Boer War, by a British military o…
A Kafir-English Dictionary — Albert Kropf, 1899 Colonial rule
Albert Kropf's comprehensive Xhosa-English dictionary, the standard reference for the language in the late nineteenth c…
Selected Official Documents of the South African Republic and Great Britain — South African Republic, 1899 Anglo-Boer War
A collection of official documents from the South African Republic (Transvaal) and Great Britain covering the diplomati…
Some South African Recollections — Florence Phillips (Mrs. Lionel Phillips), 1899 Anglo-Boer War
Personal recollections of life in the Transvaal by the wife of a Johannesburg mining magnate, covering social condition…
A Pictorial History of South Africa and the Transvaal — Charles N. Robinson (ed.), 1899 Anglo-Boer War
An illustrated history of South Africa and the Transvaal produced during the Anglo-Boer War, combining narrative text w…
A History of the Great Boer Trek and the Origin of the South African Republics — Henry Cloete, 1899 Cape Colony
Judge Henry Cloete was appointed by the British government to negotiate with the Voortrekkers in Natal in 1843. His pub…
Briton and Boer in South Africa — Murat Halstead, 1900 Anglo-Boer War
An American journalist's account of the Anglo-Boer War and the history of South Africa, presenting both the British and…
Native Races and the War — Various authors, 1900 Anglo-Boer War
An examination of the position of African peoples during the Anglo-Boer War, raising questions about the conflict's imp…
The Great Boer War — Arthur Conan Doyle, 1900 Anglo-Boer War
Arthur Conan Doyle volunteered as a field doctor during the Anglo-Boer War and wrote this comprehensive military narrat…
A Life Time in South Africa: Recollections of the First Premier of Natal — John Robinson, 1900 Colonial rule
Memoirs of Sir John Robinson, the first Prime Minister of Natal, covering his decades in colonial politics, the develop…
The Transvaal and the Boers — W.E. Garrett Fisher, 1900 Anglo-Boer War
A short history of the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State, covering Boer origins, politics, and the escalating co…
Boer Politics — Yves Guyot, 1900 Anglo-Boer War
A French political economist's analysis of Boer governance and the causes of the war with Britain, translated from the …
Natives under the Transvaal Flag — John H. Bovill, 1900 Anglo-Boer War
A missionary's critical examination of the treatment of native Africans under the Transvaal government, raising concern…
The New South Africa: Its Value and Development — W. Bleloch, 1901 Anglo-Boer War
An assessment of South Africa's economic value and political development following the Anglo-Boer War, examining the pr…
Rights and Wrongs of the Transvaal War — Edward T. Cook, 1901 Anglo-Boer War
A British journalist's systematic examination of the moral and political justification for the Anglo-Boer War, arguing …
Three Native Accounts of a Visit to Umpande — Translated by John William Colenso, 1901 edition Mpande
Three accounts of Colenso's 1859 visit to King Mpande, printed in isiZulu and English with notes and a glossary.
The Brunt of the War and Where It Fell — Emily Hobhouse, 1902 Anglo-Boer War
Emily Hobhouse's devastating report on conditions in British concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War, based on he…
Natal, the Land and its Story — Robert Russell, 1903 Colonial rule
A settler account of Natal's geography, history, and society, covering the colony's development from early British occu…
A Visit to the Transvaal: Labour — White, Black, and Yellow — Thomas Burt, 1904 Anglo-Boer War
Observations by a British Labour MP on labour conditions in the post-war Transvaal, covering white, Black, and Chinese …
Transvaal Problems: Some Notes on Current Politics — Lionel Phillips, 1905 Anglo-Boer War
Political and economic commentary on post-war Transvaal by a senior figure in the Johannesburg mining industry, coverin…
The Yellow and Dark-Skinned People of Africa South of the Zambesi — George William Stow, 1905 Origins
A description of the Bushmen and Hottentot peoples of southern Africa south of the Zambesi, covering their origins, cus…
The Native Races of South Africa — George William Stow, 1905 Origins
A posthumous compilation of Stow's research into the early history of the San and Khoikhoi peoples, including descripti…
Piet Retief: Lewensgeskiedenis van die Groot Voortrekker — Gustav Preller, 1906 Dingane
Gustav Preller's biography of Piet Retief, the Voortrekker leader killed by Dingane in 1838, is one of the earliest maj…
The First Annexation of the Transvaal — W.J. Leyds, 1906 Anglo-Boer War
The British annexation of the Transvaal in 1877 examined by the former State Attorney and diplomatic representative of …
Jock of the Bushveld — Percy Fitzpatrick, 1907 Colonial rule
A classic South African narrative of life as a transport rider and prospector in the Transvaal bushveld in the years be…
History of South Africa since September 1795 — George McCall Theal, 1908 Cape Colony
A comprehensive multi-volume history of South Africa from the British conquest of the Cape in 1795, by the most prolifi…
The Trial of Dinuzulu — Various reporters, 1909 Colonial rule
Court records and contemporary reports from the prosecution of Dinuzulu following the 1906 rebellion.
The Story of the Zulus — J.Y. Gibson, 1911 Colonial rule
A comprehensive history of the Zulu people from Shaka's consolidation through the colonial period, written by a Natal m…
Sir William Butler: An Autobiography — William Francis Butler, 1911 Anglo-Boer War
General Sir William Butler served as commander-in-chief at the Cape in 1898-99 and sent home prophetic warnings that th…
Specimens of Bushman Folklore — Wilhelm H.I. Bleek and Lucy C. Lloyd, 1911 Oral traditions
The culminating publication of the Bleek and Lloyd archive — the most important collection of San oral literature ever …
History of the Basuto, Ancient and Modern — D.F. Ellenberger, 1912 Colonial rule
Ellenberger spent decades collecting Sotho oral traditions and historical accounts, producing this comprehensive histor…
The Transvaal Surrounded — W.J. Leyds, 1919 Anglo-Boer War
A continuation of Leyds' history of the Transvaal examining the diplomatic isolation of the South African Republic and …
The Black Problem: Papers and Addresses on Various Native Problems — John Tengo Jabavu, 1920 Colonial rule
John Tengo Jabavu, founder of the Xhosa newspaper Imvo Zabantsundu and one of the most important Black political voices…
A Geographical and Topographical Description of the Cape of Good Hope — O.F. Mentzel, 1921 [c.1785] Cape Colony
Written in the 1780s by a German who spent years at the Cape, Mentzel's description covers every aspect of VOC Cape soc…
Izindaba zabantu — James Stuart, 1924 Colonial rule
A collection of oral accounts, proverbs and historical material compiled by a colonial official over decades of intervi…
Diary of the Rev. Francis Owen: Missionary with Dingaan in 1837–38 — Francis Owen; edited by George Edward Cory, 1926 Dingane
The diary of the only missionary resident at Dingane's royal homestead during the killing of the Voortrekkers in 1838, …
Satyagraha in South Africa — Mohandas K. Gandhi, 1928 Colonial rule
Gandhi's own account of his twenty-one years in South Africa and the development of his philosophy of nonviolent resist…
Olden Times in Zululand and Natal: Containing Earlier Political History of the Eastern-Nguni Clans — A.T. Bryant, 1929 Zulu Kingdom
Father A.T. Bryant spent decades collecting Zulu oral traditions, resulting in this exhaustive political history of the…
Commando: A Boer Journal of the Boer War — Deneys Reitz, 1929 Anglo-Boer War
Deneys Reitz, son of the Transvaal State Secretary, fought through the entire Anglo-Boer War from age seventeen. Writte…
Insila kaShaka (The Bodyservant of King Tshaka) — John Langalibalele Dube, 1933 Zulu Kingdom
Written in Zulu by John Dube — founder of the African National Congress and the first Zulu-language newspaper — this is…
The Matabele Journals of Robert Moffat, 1829–1860 — Robert Moffat, 1945 [1829–1860] Cape Colony
Robert Moffat made four journeys to the Ndebele (Matabele) kingdom of Mzilikazi, beginning in 1829, developing an extra…
South Africa: A Short History — Arthur Keppel-Jones, 1961 Colonial rule
A concise modern history of South Africa from the earliest European contact to the mid-twentieth century, written by an…
The Invasion of Zululand 1879 — Various correspondents, 1979 Anglo-Zulu War
A collected edition of primary documents, military dispatches and contemporary accounts from the 1879 war period.
The Praises of Dingana (Izibongo zikaDingana) — D.K. Rycroft and A.B. Ngcobo (eds.), 1988 Dingane
A scholarly edition of the izibongo (praise poetry) of King Dingane, with isiZulu text, English translation, and critic…