The Reburial of Mapungubwe Human Remains

The Reburial of Mapungubwe Human Remains

The reburial of the human skeletal remains at Mapungubwe an Iron Age archaeological site located in Limpopo Province, was preceded by a handover and cleansing ceremony involving traditional healers and members of the communities that claimed to be the bona fide descendants of the human remains. On 29 October 2007, the symbolic handover ceremony took place at the University of Pretoria and was well attended.

The Missing Persons Task Team (MPTT) to Investigate Apartheid Missing Persons Cases

The Missing Persons Task Team

The Missing Persons Task’s Team (MPTT) emerged as a recommendation after the conclusion of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 1996 in its Final Report. The TRC was committed to correcting the injustices of apartheid, one way was through locating the graves of those who went missing between March 1, 1960 and May 10, 1994. Due to the large amount of people who were still missing (estimated around 477), at the end of the TRC, the MPTT was entrusted with this task.

The SAS Somerset Museum

The SAS Somerset is stationed at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (V&A Waterfront), Cape Town. The SAS Somerset is a bar-class boom defence vessel, a type of net-laying ship that was used during World War II and is the only ship of its kind still in existence. The ship was previously called Ship No 280, since 15 April 1941, when it was built in the Blyth shipyard, Northumberland, by the Blyth Shipbuilding Company in England. In 1942, the ship sailed to South Africa and reached Durban, Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal) in 1947. 

The ship was renamed the SAS Somerset in 1955 to commemorate the horse that carried Dick King from Durban to Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, in 1842. A seahorse is displayed on the ship's crest and badge to highlight this connection. On 24 May 1988, the ship became a museum after the South African Navy handed the ship over to the South African (SA) Cultural History Museum now Iziko Museums. The ship museum opened to the public on 2 September 1988 and is still open to the public daily. 

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References

Cape Town Heritage (2020), SAS Somerset, Available online: www.cape-town-heritage.co.za/museum/sas-somerset.html. Accessed [16/05/2020].

CapeTownMagazine.com (2020), SA Maritime & SAS Somerset Museum at the V&A Waterfront, Available online: www.capetownmagazine.com/arts-culture/sa-maritime-and-sas-somerset-museum-at-the-v-and-a-waterfront/104_22_17165. Accessed [16/05/2020].

Iziko Maritime Centre (2020), Maritime Centre, Available online: www.iziko.org.za/museums/maritime-centre. Accessed [14/05/2020].

SA Naval Museum (2019), The future of SAS Somerset, Available online: www.sanavymuseum.co.za/2019/02/05/the-future-of-sas-somerset/. Accessed [14/05/2020].

The South African Police Service Museum

The Muizenberg Police Museum, also known as South African Police Services (SAPS) Museum, is situated on the Main Road in Muizenberg, Cape Town, Western Cape. The museum is located where the police station and old magistrate’s court was based. It opened on 21 June 1990 but closed a few years later due to damage to the property. 

The museum was reopened by Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko on 23 March 2016 after undergoing renovation. Inside the museum there are displays showcasing criminal cases, an old charge office and the original jail cells. There is also antique furniture and various police items such as uniforms. Other displays include two coins from the Dutch East-India Company (VOC) era and a depiction of the Battle of Muizenberg. There is no entrance fee and the museum is open every day. 

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References
Blaauwberg Online (2009), South African Police Museum, Available online: www.tourism-cape-town-western-cape.blaauwberg.net/busslistings.php?id=1813. Accessed [20/05/2020].
 
Monique Mortlock (2016), SAPS Museum reopened in Muizenberg today, www.ewn.co.za/2016/03/23/Saps-museum-reopened-in-Muizenberg-today. Accessed [20/05/2020].
 
Show Me (2009), The Police Museum in Muizenberg also known at the SAPS museum, Available online:
www.showme.co.za/cape-town/tourism/tourist-attractions/the-police-museum-in-muizenberg/. Accessed [20/05/2020].
 

Mapungubwe Collection at the University of Pretoria

After the Mapungubwe gold was declared a national heritage collection in October 1997, the University of Pretoria (UP) became its official custodian as it played an important role in finding the gold and preserving it, making the university the host of the biggest ancient gold collection in Southern Africa. The university’s main task is to curate and preserve the gold collection which consists of three animal figurines namely a rhinoceros, bovine, and feline. Two other notable gold pieces are the ceremonial bowl and a sceptre. They also have a collection of gold bangles, nails, and foil. Apart from the gold items they have glass beads, iron and copper bangles as well as earthenware ceramic vessels also form part of the collection. 

The museum is situated in the University’s Old Arts Building. The two golden rhinos are the museum’s centre pieces and are placed in glass cabinets. It is believed that the two rhinos excavated at the Mapungubwe Hill were a representation of black rhinos, a symbol of leadership. Textual and photographic panels form part of the surroundings around the rhinos. There are ten display cases which contain gold artefacts, pottery and the jewellery. The cases also contain information panels stating the history of the artefact and its significance. The panels trace the history of Mapungubwe and the gold findings. 

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References

University of Pretoria. ‘Mapungubwe Collection -The Collection’, (2018), www.up.ac.za/en/museums-collections/article/1823912/mapungubwe-collection-thecollection. [Accessed 14 March 2020].

X. Kashe-Katiya, ‘Carefully Hidden Away: Excavating the Archive of the Mapungubwe Dead and their Possessions’, (UCT. M.A. Thesis. 2013).
 

Iziko South African Maritime Centre

The Iziko South African (SA) Maritime Centre opened in 1990. It is based at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (V&A Waterfront), Cape Town, Western Cape. The museum provides a history of shipping in the City and displays the oldest model of Table Bay harbour, which was created by prisoners and warders from Breakwater Prison in 1885. There are also photographs depicting Table Bay between the 17th to 20th centuries. 

The museum also displays a collection of ship models alongside photographs and displays of shipwrecks that occurred as well. There are two permanent exhibitions at the Centre namely,  “The Last Voyage of the Mendi: Death in Foreign Waters” which provides an overview of the SS Mendi and the John H. Marsh Maritime Research Centre which hosts about 20 000 photographs with 9 200 of them displaying ships from the 1920s to the 1960s. 

There is also an online service to assist with queries relating to the ships and handling orders for images of the ships. The Maritime Centre is open daily and requires an admission fee.

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References

Iziko Maritime Centre (2020), Maritime Centre, Available online: www.iziko.org.za/museums/maritime-centre. Accessed [17/05/2020].

V&A Waterfront (2020), Iziko Maritime Centre, Available online: www.waterfront.co.za/attractions/iziko-maritime-museum/. Accessed [17/05/2020].

The Snape Building Political Demonstration at the University of Cape Town in 1966 by Andrew M. Colman

In the late afternoon of Wednesday, 21 September 1966, I took part in a small political demonstration on the campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT). It was broken up violently by university authorities, and I still have a copy of a two-page “Witness Statement” that I wrote immediately after the event, outlining the bare facts of what happened. The final paragraph is a threat to sue the university for defamation, common assault, and malicious damage to property.

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