The Non-Racial Sports History Project was formed in June 2015. Its primary mandate is to record the histories of non-racial sport from the ground up clubs and their administrators and players, provincial and then national ,paying special attention to the role played by women. While our main focus is on the histories of non-racial sport before the unity talks and the advent of democracy in 1994, we are also interested in recording the stories of community sports in all areas but more especially where there was a tradition of non-racial sport before 1994.

We see the project as contributing to the revival of the ethos that characterized the non-racial movement. To this end, some of the main objectives of the project are:

1. Revive the concept of community sport (which represents the majority of our population ) compared to professional sport.
2. Actively to promote and support the formation of community based sporting bodies.
3. Safeguard and secure the future of amateur sport.
4. Where there is an interest, to assist in the revival of sporting codes that are currently dormant.
5. Where possible to assist those who were active in non-racial sport and who have fallen on hard times.
6. To acknowledge the role played by sportspeople for the struggle for non-racial sport
7. Finally, to revive the spirit of voluntarism and non-racialism.

Having appeared for the first time in Johannesburg as "The Eastern Star", the daily newspaper was to be published on the Witwatersrand from 1889 under the name "The Star".

In the 1920s, the photographer David Barnett, brother to the late photographer Joseph Barnett, was approached by Mr C.D. Don, Editor of "The Star" from 1915 to 1938, persuading him to sell the collection of photographs to "The Star", which he did.

In 1966 the photographs of the Barnett brothers were published by "The Star" as "The Barnett Collection: a pictorial record of early Johannesburg". But the more than 2100 photographs, made by the Barnett brothers between the 1890s-1913, not only cover early Johannesburg, but a wide range of topics and locations in Southern Africa, thereby offering a rich historical glimpse through the lenses of these photographers.

Sub-Native Commissioner, Northern Transvaal, Native Affairs Department of the Republic of South Africa, in the early 20th century.

Alexandre (Alex) Moumbaris, born in Egypt to Greek parents, began his political life in England as a member of the British Communist Party and later the South African Communist Party. He also joined Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and together with his wife Marie-José became part of what is now known as the internationalist underground group ‘London Recruits’, for which they received the South African National Order “Sabotage Campaign Medal” in 2012.
Alex and Marie-José Moumbaris were arrested on the 19 July 1972 while trying to cross the border from Botswana to South Africa during an MK operation, together with other members of MK. They were secretly detained for 4 months, before ‘Alexandre Moumbaris and 5 Others’ were charged under the Terrorism Act in January 1973. Marie-José, who was pregnant at the time with their first child, had been released through international pressure and deported to France in September 1972. Alex Moumbaris was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on the 20 June 1973, which he started serving in the Pretoria Local Prison.
On the 11 December 1979 Alex Moumbaris and two other prisoners, Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, made a daring escape from Pretoria Central Prison. After a dangerous and exhausting journey they eventually arrived in Lusaka, where they were received by OR Tambo, and for the first time appeared publicly about their escape during a press conference on the 14 January 1980. He then joined his wife Marie-José and their son Boris in Paris. Their daughter Chloé was born on the 11 December 1982, the third anniversary of his escape from prison.
Alex Moumbaris continued his political work as part of the French national and the wider international South African liberation movement, as a communist, internationalist and humanist. The Government of the Republic of South Africa awarded him with the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo in Silver in 2014, which is awarded “to those who have actively promoted the interests and aspirations of South Africa through outstanding cooperation, solidarity and support”.

Dutch army officer, journalist, mining commissioner, member of the Transvaal Volksraad, Boer prisoner of war on St. Helena Island

Mr. Verselewel de Witt Hamer came out to South Africa while still a young man after having resigned from the Netherlands Army in which he held the rank of Lieutenant. Landing in Durban in 1885 (he) there engaged in journalism, becoming editor of the Natal Afrikaner. (De Volkstem quoted on 12.2.30, when discussing his 75th birthday celebration which was given great prominence by the Netherlands community, that the newspaper was 'Natal Boeren Vriend').

Soon after the first gold rush to the Transvaal and after spending a few years in he service of the Republic - Collector Transvaal taxes, Johannesburg; Landdrost clerk, Pretoria, and in 1889 Secretary to Christian Joubert, then Head of the Dept, of Mines. in 1896 he was appointed Mining Commissioner of Leydsdorp, N.Tvl, in 1892 promoted to Mining Commissioner in Barberton in succession to the late Mr. J. L. van der Merwe. Five years later he resigned his office to enter political life as the elected member for Barberton in the Second Volksraad.

At the outbreak of war in 1899 Mr de Witt Hamer was largely instrumental in raising the Hollander Corps of which he became commander with the rank of Captain, was present with his Command at the Battle of Elandslaagte where on die dispersal of General Kock's commando by General French, he was taken prisoner and was sent with other officers and a number of rank and file of the Boers, to St. Helena. He became persona grata with the authorities and remained there until peace was signed. In 1923 Her Majesty Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands conferred the Knighthood of the Order of Oranje on Mr. de Witt Hamer.

Extracts regarding life and career of B.G. Verselewel de Witt Hamer. Born Doesburg, Holland, 1855
Extract from the Star, Johannesburg. 18.12.1930, at the time of the death of B.G. Verselewel de Witt Hamer.

Sidney Percival Bunting , lawyer, labour leader and founding member and leader of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) in 1921.

The Task group was established on the 8 August 1994 by the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi, independently to draft a new Act to replace the existing Publications Act 1974, as amended. The latter Act lacked constitutionality in terms of the new constitution of the post-Apartheid Republic of South Africa.

The Bantu World was founded by Bertram Paver, together with white liberals such as J.D. Rheinallt-Jones and James Howard Pim. The newspaper was entitled Bantu World from April 1932-December 1955, when it was published as a weekly newspaper intended for the black middle-class elite.
The Bantu World's first editor was Victor Selope-Thema who served until 1952. Under Dr. Jacob Nhlapo, editor from 1953 to 1957, the name of the newspaper was changed to the name World, published from January 1956-October 1977. In June 1933 the Argus Printing Company (established 1889) took over Paver's company, Bantu Press Limited, and with it the ownership of Bantu World.
The newsaper covered a wide range of issues affecting the African community, was trend setting in discussions relating to its female readers, and it gave extensive coverage to black nationalist movements during that period, as well as international news. It also included the comic supplement entitled Mayibuye, and Bantu Pictorial.

Edward (Eddie) Roux was a leading member of the South African Communist Party (CPSA). He became the editor of the CPSA’s weekly publication, Umsebenzi, and continued to edit the publication until 1935 when he was removed from the CPSA’s political bureau through a party-initiated purge.

Following his expulsion from the party, Roux was forced to consider a career outside of politics, and outside of the CPSA. For the next 20 years he took up a career in science, as he had completed his PhD in Plant Physiology in 1929. In the latter capacity he write the book "Grass: a story of Frankenwald".

He was awarded The Order of Ikhamanga in Silver by the democratic post-Apartheid Government, for "Excellent contribution to the struggle for a non-racial, non-sexist, just and democratic South Africa under trying apartheid conditions".