The Apartheid Archives project is an international research initiative that aims to examine the nature of the experiences of racism of particularly 'ordinary' South Africans under the old apartheid order and their continuing effects on individual and group functioning in contemporary South Africa. The project is fundamentally premised on the understanding that traumatic experiences from the past will constantly attempt to re-inscribe themselves in the present, often in masked form, if they are not acknowledged, interrogated and addressed.

To this end, the project collects documents, analyses and provides access to personal or narrative accounts of the impact of apartheid on the lived realities of their authors. The project was conceptualized and initiated in August 2008 by 22 core researchers located at universities spanning South Africa, Australia, the United States and United Kingdom. Research for this project will take place in several phases and over a minimum of five years

The construction of the Civic Theatre was approved by the Johannesburg City Council in the early 1960s. The theatre was completed in 1962 and its main goals were based on education and promoting the public interest in drama, opera, ballet, music, painting and other kinds of arts as well as subsidizing these productions and performances. The official opening of the theatre took place on the 27th of August 1962. The first manager and administrator appointed by the City Council, Michal Grobbelaar served as the head of this institution until 1993. One of the first performances included opera followed later by dramas, ballets and musicals. For a long time the theatre was unfortunately segregated and the performances were accessible mainly to white South Africans. This situation only changed in the 90s. A very important fact in the history of the theatre occurred in 1964 with the establishment of the puppet Marionette Company to offer performances for children. In the mid 1980s the complex needed renovation and reconstruction. The reopening of the newly renovated theatre took place in 1992. The Johannesburg Civic Theatre had been transformed into a body more representative of the whole population of the city. The newly appointed director Janice Honeyman in 1996 launched an ambitious programme of productions brought to the theatre by promoters and outside producers. International musicals and works of local artists were presented at the theatre. The children's theatre, an art gallery and a series of restaurants provided a high standard of entertainment to visitors at the theatre. At a later stage continued financial pressure forced management to implement painful cost-cutting exercises. The City of Johannesburg made some important decisions concerning the future of the Civic Theatre which included: separating it from the City Council, appointing a new Independent Board of Directors and reconfiguring the theatre into a house able to accommodate productions brought in by the independent producers. The Main Theatre was renamed in 2001 as a Nelson Mandela Theatre. At present the Johannesburg Civic Theatre has seven five-star venues of which three are private dining rooms available for hire. The Civic Theatre is one of the best venues of live entertainment and is rated amongst the best theatres of South Africa.

The Foundation for Human Rights was established in 1996 through a cooperation agreement between the European Union and the South African Government by signing the European Union Human Rights Programme. The aim of the Foundation is to address the historical legacy of Apartheid, support the transformation of South Africa and to build a human rights culture using the Constitution of South Africa as a tool. It receives funds primarily from the European Union as well as other donors such as DCI, Mott Foundation and Care International. The members of the Supervisory Board of the Foundation are all prominent South Africans, and include representatives of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the European Union.

The first EU-founded programme covered the period between 1996 and 2000 and the second between 2001 and 2007. During the second programme the Foundation has made a few significant changes. The first was a name change from the European Union Foundation for Human Rights to the Foundation for Human Rights- reflecting that Foundation is an indigenous organization. It was also agreed that the Foundation would expand its funding base. The second major change was the recognition that the organization should be lead by a South African - Yasmin Sooka.

The International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa started its activities in the aftermath of the 1956 Treason Trial as a support network for the 156 trialists and their families. Later in 1965 it became an international organisation, which provided outstanding financial support for the defence of many political activists and for the families of political detainees and prisoners inside South Africa. The organisation published numerous material in the form of photographs, books and films about the Apartheid system in South Africa.

The Sociology of Work Unit (SWOP), now referred to as the Society, Work and Development Institute, is a research organisation, which is housed at the University of the Witwatersrand.

SWOP was established in 1983 as a post doctoral project of Professor Edward Webster as a result of researching working conditions in foundries. Having analysed the records of the Iron Moulders Society, which indicated a very high incidence of respiratory diseases caused by the dust, he came to the conclusion that the way work is organised affects the health of workers. At the time Professor Webster was approached by a group of young engineering students as to whether there could be a collaboration to analyse the technical side of work. This led to the set up of the Sociology of Work Project (SWOP), linked to the NGO, the Technical Advice Group(TAG) that the students had set up.

SWOP grew from strength to strength. In 1995 it was established as a Unit but kept the acronym. In the late 1990s research was broadened, in order to focus beyond work to look at the relationship between work and society, as well as broader issues of economic and social development. And in 2007, when the University recognised SWOP as an Institute, the name was changed to "Society, Work and Development Institute", to reflect more accurately its broader focus. Nevertheless, it was felt that, since it had become known as SWOP, it should retain this brand name and call itselves the SWOP Institute.

The Southern African Centre for Survivors of Torture (SACST), formerly known as the Zimbabwe Torture Victims Project (ZTVP), was established in February 2005 and was managed by IDASA. The ZTVP's mandate was to provide medical, psychological and legal services to primary survivors of organized violence and torture (OVT) perpetrated in Zimbabwe from the year 2000 to date. In December 2006 the ZTVP became a partner project of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) until September 2007.

The SACST became an independent Section 21 Company in October 2007 and its founding objective was to facilitate access to a range of services that theoretically should be provided by the state to those seeking asylum from persecution. Its mandate has since expanded to respond to the needs of tortured asylum seekers and refugees in Southern Africa, including survivors of gross human rights violations.

The Grail, an international faith movement of women, was formerly established in South Africa in 1950, after longstanding informal contacts with The Grail in England since 1936. The first Grail Centre was set up in Rivonia, which was followed by other centres in Johannesburg and in KwaZulu Natal. Originally being a Catholic organisation, the movement invited women from different denominations and became ecumenical. Grail members became increasingly involved in efforts to raise consciousness about injustice during the Apartheid years. Many joined Rev. Beyers Naude in the Christian Institute and also worked through groups such as Catholic Action for Racial Education (CARE). Grail members also participated in the inter-racial and interdenominational training programme called Christian Education Leadership Training (CELT).

Until 1975 the Industrial Aid Society (IAS) played a role similar to that of MAWU in Natal; in 1975 MAWU (Transvaal) was formed. The following year MAWU (Tvl) and the IAS consolidated their close working relationship by forming CIWW the Council of Industrial Workers of the Witwatersrand (CIWW).

From 1977 CIWW began to explore the possibility of wider unity, and for the next two years extensive discussions were held between the affiliates of CIWW and TUACC, the Natal-based Coordinating Council. Eventually in April 1979, FOSATU was formed (the Federation of South African Trade Unions).

The first successful attempt to organise workers in the clothing industry was the formation of the Witwatersrand Tailors Association in 1918. This period in the history of the union is characterised by its attempts to stamp out 'sweated labour' and the systems of contracting and piecework, and to improve working conditions. The union was divided into two sections, the bespoke and the factory. An attempt was also made to ensure that employers and manufacturers adhered to log prices and did not underpay workers in order to be competitive.

After the strike of 1922, the government introduced machinery to regulate relations between workers and employers. This was the beginning of an attempt at conciliation which was later much championed by the leaders of the Garment Workers Union. The Industrial Conciliation Act was passed in 1924 and the Garment Workers Union was one of the first to be registered. With the formation of the Industrial Council for the Bespoke Tailoring Industry in 1928 and then the Industrial Council for the Clothing Industry, the union became party to both councils

The union's membership was not confined to the Witwatersrand, but was extended to Bloemfontein where a branch was established by the Secretary, Cecil Frank Glass, in 1926. The members were mostly older males, many of them Jewish tailors who had emigrated from Eastern Europe to South Africa. During this period there were a number of individual strikes by workers against their 'rat employers'.

The Witwatersrand Tailors Association was active in promoting a trade union federation in South Africa, supporting first the South African Industrial Federation, and then, during its decline in 1922, the formation of ATUSA (Associated Trade Unions of South Africa) which later became SATUC (South African Trade Union Congress). The active leaders included M Baum, D Colraine, C F Glass, H Joseph and A F Tuffin.

The election of Emil Solomon 'Solly' Sachs as General Secretary on 14 November 1928 heralded a new era for the union. Sachs and his thinking dominated all its activities until 1952. He came to South Africa from Latvia at the end of 1913 or the beginning of 1914 (Sachs gives conflicting dates in various biographical accounts). He attended school until 1916, then worked in a bookshop and later in mine shops on the Witwatersrand. In 1919 he was active in the Reef Shop Assistants Union which agitated for shorter hours. According to Sachs' own testimony, he had to leave the trade as he was marked as an agitator, but he continued as Honorary Secretary of the union. In 1924 he enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand for an engineering degree, but had to discontinue his studies because of insufficient means. He first came into contact with garment workers when he was elected Secretary of the Witwatersrand Middlemen Tailors Association on 31 March 1927. He subsequently became the General Secretary of the Witwatersrand Tailors Association.

In July 1929 a new constitution for the union was adopted, the name being changed to the Garment Workers Union, although the name was actually only adopted in 1930. There were 1750 members, two thirds of them factory workers

Sachs immediately tackled the problem of the violation of the agreements of both the Industrial Council for the Bespoke Tailoring Industry and the Industrial Council for the Clothing Industry (Transvaal). He started examining wage registers and prosecuting employers, many of whom were paying irregularly and forcing workers to sign for wages which they had not received. Sachs firmly believed in the law in South Africa and in the following years the Garment Workers Union made much use of the courts to bring employers and enemies of the union to justice.

The union suffered a severe setback in the early 1930s in its fight for better wages. In 1931 there use a general strike which ended inconclusively and left the workers whose earnings were meagre and inadequate in no better position. In 1932 there was another strike of garment workers as a result of demands by employers to reduce wages

Mr Oswald Pirow, then Minister of Justice, took a hard line and used the police force against the strikers. The workers were defeated although the employers achieved only a 10% reduction in wages, compared to their original demand for 25%. Sachs was served with a deportation order which was never enforced, although he was not allowed to live on the Witwatersrand for twelve months. Between 1928 and 1932 there were 100 strikes which to some extent helped to improve conditions or end grievances. In 1934 the bespoke section of the union was dissolved and the tailors formed the Tailoring Workers Industrial Union (Transvaal).

The 1930s and 1940s saw the blossoming of Afrikaner nationalism, and the National Party made a concerted effort to destroy the union which had attracted so many of their people. In 1935 a closed shop clause was included in the agreement. These were also the years which saw the rise and zenith of Fascism in Europe. Fascist groups such as the Greyshirts and Blackshirts used racist ideology to attack the union.

Anti-Semitism was also on the upswing and Sachs was repeatedly accused of being a 'Communist Jew'. It says much for Sachs and the personal loyalty of the workers: towards him, that the union did not succumb. He openly fought back and from 1939 he won a number of defamation cases against the Afrikaans press who were supported by the Nederduits Hervormde Kerk van Afrika. A very bitter struggle was waged in the Germiston branch where the National Party Member for Parliament, Johannes du Pisanie, was active in inciting the workers. The 1940's were a period of bitter struggles for fair wages as also of feuding between the Transvaal garment workers and Cape workers, led by Robert Stuart, who was bitterly opposed to national unity among garment workers

In 1948 the union obtained a forty hour week for the workers

The passing of the Suppression of Communism Act in 1950 caused another crisis in the history of the Union. Its leaders Anna Scheepers (President), Sachs (General Secretary) and Johanna Cornelius were listed as Communists. Sachs appealed on the grounds that he had been a member of the Communist Party from 1921 until August 1931 when he had been expelled from the party for political differences. Subsequently he supported the South African Labour Party. Sachs' banning meant that he could no longer hold his position as General Secretary of the Garment Workers Union, nor could he attend public gatherings

Sachs flagrantly disobeyed these orders by addressing a mass meeting of garment workers on 24 May 1952. He was supported by all the workers who again convened on 26 May after his arrest and condemned his listing as a Communist and his removal from the secretaryship of the Garment Workers Union.

Sachs' position eventually became so intolerable to him, that he left South Africa and settled in England. He died in London in 1976.

Over the years the composition of the union had changed. Whereas in 1938 Coloured workers were 22% of the total membership, by 1953 the union comprised 60% Coloured workers to 40% White. By law the union had had to establish parallel branches, No.1 branches being for Whites and No.2 branches for Coloureds. This has now been reversed and once again the Garment Workers Union is allowed to have combined branches

Johanna Catharina Cornelius Fellner succeeded Sachs as General Secretary and served in this capacity until her death on 21 June 1974. In the first few years of his exile Sachs attempted to continue his fight for the workers in South Africa but lack of support from the Garment Workers Union caused his efforts to peter out. In general this was a quiet period of co-operation and negotiation. It was influenced by the Botha Commission (Industrial Legislation Commission) set up in 1945, and the passing of the Natives (Settlements of Disputes) Act and the Industrial Conciliation Act of 1956. There was a split in the ranks of the union, as the White workers felt that the provisions of the Industrial Conciliation Act would make it impossible for racially mixed unions to operate. They thus formed the Garment Trade Union of European Employees (SA). Other problems to which the union paid attention were job reservation, workers in uncontrolled areas, and the establishment of a training college for garment workers

Another outstanding leader of the union was Anna Elizabeth Scheepers. Born on 18 March 1914 on the farm De la Rey near Krugersdorp, she attended Monument High School but was obliged to leave school in her matriculation year as her family had been severely affected by the depression. In 1933 she started work as a presser in a Johannesburg factory and began to be active in the activities of the Garment Workers Union. In August 1935 she was elected President of the union. Like other trade unionists of the time she visited Russia before the war and C R Swart attempted to list her as a Communist in 1952. She has distinguished herself, receiving a medal for voluntary services in World War II from Field Marshal J C Smuts. In November 1968 she was elected as the first and only woman on the General Council of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation. In April 1973 she was awarded the Honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of the Witwatersrand and in 1974 she was elected a Senator.

Besides the struggle for fair wages and a shorter working week, the union was able to obtain for the workers by 1949 three weeks' paid annual leave, whereas in 1928 there had been no such paid leave. In 1928 the only paid holidays were Christmas Day and May Day. In 1949 four other public holidays were added. By creating funds, two important social services were provided namely assistance to the sick and unemployed.

The Garment Workers Union struggled in order to obtain a better life for its members, relying almost entirely on its own strength and the moral support of fellow trade unionists. The union was respected by some employers and feared by others, but its members were treated with respect as they always had recourse to it if they were being mistreated.

The formation of FOSATU was part of the fight to organise workers in South Africa into independent, non-racial trade unions. The first effective trade union organising black workers was formed in 1917 and was followed by the ICU (Industrial and Commercial Workers Union) in 1919. The 1950s saw the emergence of SACTU (South African Congress of Trade Unions) and the upsurge of political and worker' organisation. Slate repression led to the 1960s being a low point of worker organisation.

The 1970s were a time of great challenge for the labour movement in South Africa. Workers were experiencing growing hardships and poverty due to unemployment and inflation and as a consequence worker militancy was rapidly on the rise. As a result of the Wiehahn Commission new industrial legislation was being prepared which would bring important changes in industrial relations and worker organisations were becoming increasingly important in politics and the economy. In the face of growing opposition from the State, from employers and from the established unions (i.e. racist white unions and TUCSA) the need for greater unity was clear and new trade union bodies began to emerge countrywide.

Exploratory talks on a united Labour federation were initiated by the National Union of Motor Assembly and Rubber Workers of South Africa (NUMARWOSA) in early 1977. These talks lead to the formation of a Feasibility Committee. Participants in this committee were the four affiliates of the Trade Union Advisory and Co-ordinating Council (TUACC), NUMARWOSA, the United Automobile Workers (UAW), and three unions that broke from the Transvaal Consultative Committee of Black Trade Unions. FOSATU emerged two years later as a result.

It was a basic commitment to worker participation, opposition to racism and the desire to pool limited resources and skills that brought unions together in FOSATU. The inaugural congress of FOSATU was held in April 1979 at Hammanskraal near Pretoria. The 150 delegates elected UAW'S John Mike as President and TUACC's Alec Erwin as General Secretary. There were twelve affiliates present, three registered and nine unregistered, claiming a membership of 45 000. FOSATU became the first federation of predominantly unregistered trade unions to operate openly in South Africa since the suppression of SACTU in the 1960s

FOSATU's main objective was to build a strong national, non-racial, independent, worker controlled labour movement firmly located in the factories with strong shop-floor structures. It also committed itself to an ongoing worker education programme and to decent standards of living and fair working conditions. It did not align itself with any party political organisation and opposed attempts by such organisations to control FOSATU or its affiliates. It spent most of its energy on organising, on negotiating recognition agreements with management, and on bargaining over wages and working conditions. This cautious policy on union involvement in political activities was rooted within the framework of state repression against unions after the 1973 Durban strikes and the 1976 Soweto uprising.

The highest policy making body was the National Congress. When the National Congress was not meeting management of the Federation was vested in the Central Committee. Between meetings of the Central Committee the Executive Committee carried out the day to day administration of the Federation. Regional Councils were established to encourage unions to work together on the ground and affiliate branches were represented on it. FOSATU also encouraged affiliates to set up local offices of their unions to facilitate closer liaison between the unions

The major criticism against FOSATU was that its leadership was elite and that decisions were taken by a few officials only. Initially FOSATU unions were not necessarily democratic but as it grew and began to develop a unique uniform strategy the worker leaders began to exercise more control and the officials lost much of their power.

By 1982, with a membership of 105 000, FOSATU could no longer ignore community politics and it began to take up political issues. In 1983 the need for a wider alliance and for union unity was addressed. A Feasibility Committee was set up to discuss the formation of a new federation and in 1984 talks. Representing about 300 000 workers from the major black unions in key manufacturing, commercial and mining sectors, were held. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) emerged in November 1985 as a result of these talks.

During its existence (1979-1985) FOSATU achieved significant gains. The lot of workers had improved via increased wages, the acknowledgement of workers rights in approximately 400 factories, and better conditions on the factory-floor. Apart from these achievements FOSATU played a vital part in the growth of an independent worker culture.