In terms of an agreement with the United Party in 1969, Unisa's Library became the official custodian and processor of these Archives. The collection has grown considerably since the dissolution of the Party in 1977.
The Archives contain interesting documents with useful information on all aspects of South African history, politics and society over several decades.
Documents of the United Party's predecessors, such as Het Volk, the Afrikaner Bond, South African Party (SAP) and its successor, the New Republic Party, form part of the collection.
Apart from the official UP documents, the Archives also have several private collections, of which the Sir de Villiers Graaff Collection is the most important.
The United Party Archives are at the disposal of researchers and are of particular value in that they are the official documents of a South African political party which ruled for 38 years and which was the official opposition for 39 years. In addition to official party documents, there are information files compiled by the Party on a variety of issues and on persons who played a role in South African politics and society. These files contain valuable pamphlets and newspaper cuttings from the major newspapers in the country and are fairly comprehensive. The collection has some foreign pamphlets on party organisation.
The collection is not complete and the University is constantly on the lookout for additional material. Inventories are available.
Contact person : Anri van der Westhuizen avdwesth@unisa.ac.za
Tel: +27 12 429-2560
Last modified: Mon Aug 07 17:14:20 SAST 2023