Dr Errol Vawda was born in Newcastle in 1929. After completing his high school education at Sastri College in Durban he enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand, where some of the progressive lecturers influenced the development of his political and social ideas. During his studies at Wits he became increasingly aware of discriminatory practices, not only at the University, but also in the wider South African society. When Vawda graduated as medical doctor (as a specialist radiologist), he was employed at McCord's Hospital in Durban. After a few years he went back to his hometown of Newcastle and later opened a private practice in the small town of Brits, where he was only black doctor in town. He moved to Durban, where he settled permanently. He became active in non-racial sports administration. Vawda was involved with non-racial South African Soccer Federation and was leading as a president for a number of years the South African Table Tennis Board, the only internationally recognized non-racial sporting code during the apartheid years. He was elected Deputy President for Table Tennis in Africa and represented both South Africa and Africa at many international table tennis forums. Errol Vawda held other executive positions in the South African Council of Sport (SACOS), which at the time led the way in boycotting all South African sporting activities at international level until there was a free and liberated South Africa. He also played an important role among medical practitioners in Durban, arguing that health of individuals and communities are fundamentally determined by political and economic circumstances, which inevitably requires political and policy interventions. While leaving and working in Durban, Vawda was involved with the independent non-racial trade union movement in the 1980's in their struggle to secure healthy working conditions for their members, and often performed X-ray diagnoses at his own expense. Dr Errol Vawda died in October 1993.

From 1904 onwards many attempts were made to bring about unity in the trade union movement by forming federations. The most successful of these early federations was the South African Trades and Labour Council (SATLC) which existed from 1930-1954, having been reconstituted in 1949. It did not, however, include all trade unions; some remained independent and some were members of other federations. Its existence as a multiracial organisation was threatened by the government's decision to segregate the trade union movement. SATLC strongly objected to the statement by the Minister of Labour, Mr B. Schoeman, on 13 March 1953 that "The policy of the government is that there should be no intermingling of Europeans and Non-Europeans in trade unions". The government then amended the Industrial Conciliation Act in such a way that trade unions would be divided according to race and certain jobs be reserved for Whites.
In reaction to this legislation and, realising that individual protests would be ineffective, a Trade Union Unity Committee was formed in February 1954 which called a Unity Conference in Cape Town for May. Representatives of more than 230,000 workers of all races met and gave the Unity Committee a mandate to set up a national trade union coordinating body. At the second Unity Conference held in Durban in October agreement was reached on a constitution and on 4 October 1954 the South African Trade Union Council was born with 61 unions representing 223 741 members. SATLC dissolved leaving the field to the new federation which, in 1962, changed its name to Trade Union Council of South Africa (TUC SA).
Unity had been achieved but at the expense of excluding Black unions from the new federation, although the constitution made provision for them to join at a later date. This in fact happened twice in 1962 and 1968 when TUCSA resolved to include Black unions but was forced to reverse the decision by pressure from the government and its own conservative White unions. It was 1974 before Black trade unions were finally admitted by which time they had become disillusioned with TUCSA. By steering a middle course TUCSA had pleased neither the conservative right nor the radical left.
In 1958 TUCSA briefly joined an all-embracing federation, extremely conservative in character, called the South African Confederation of Labour but from the beginning differed greatly from other members on important issues such as the recognition of Black trade unions. Matters came to a head when the Confederation decided to seek registration under the Industrial Conciliation Act and at a special conference held in September 1958 TUCSA resolved to withdraw from the Confederation.
Over the years TUCSA continued to work for Black advancement, encouraging the growth of Black trade unions and the formation in 1959 of the Federation of Free African Trade Unions of South Africa (FOFATUSA) for those Black unions which did not wish to join the radical South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU), formed in 1955 when TUCSA ceased to be multiracial. TUCSA representatives served on various public bodies. TUCSA maintained international links with the International Labour Organisation and with the trade union movements in Britain, Germany, America and elsewhere.
TUCSA's chief executive was its General Secretary, with considerable freedom to speak on TUCSA's behalf. During the 32 years of its existence, TUCSA had only three General Secretaries,
Dulcie Hartwell 1954-1962
Terence O'Donoghue 1962-1964
James Arthur Grobbelaar 1965-1984
Conferences were held annually, delegating power to the National Executive Committee (NEC) to implement Its resolutions. In turn the NEC, which met quarterly, delegated responsibility to the Officers Committee which met monthly. The NEC also appointed committee: for specialist subjects such as African Affairs, education, housing and human rights. Head Office had a library, an Economic Research Bureau, a training department and a centralised public relations service. To help affiliates, Head Office issued memoranda and pamphlets on various subjects and published a Newsletter, in turn named Saamtrek, Unitas and Labour Mirror. The country was divided into five regions, Western Province, Eastern Province, Border, Transvaal and Natal, to coordinate the activities of workers in these areas.
At the height of its power in 1983 TUCSA had 57 affiliated unions with a membership of 478,420 but, when it dissolved three years later, there were only 32 unions representing 170,000 members. There were several reasons for this dramatic drop in membership, financial as well as political. The increase in affiliation fees and the withdrawal of some of the services offered by TUCSA owing to financial stringency caused some affiliates to feel that there were no benefits in retaining membership. TUCSA was attacked for its conservatism, its failure to support the call for May 1 and June 16 to be statutory holidays and to condemn detention without trial, its alleged cooperation with the government and its opposition to sanctions on South Africa by other countries. It was condemned for its lack of leadership, exacerbated by the death of its General Secretary, J.A. Grobbelaar in 1984, leaving a vacuum at a critical time. There were several efforts to find a successor which proved fruitless.
In 1985 TUCSA initiated discussions with affiliates and others to try to find the reasons for its failure but, during 1986, it became clear that the Council could no longer continue as a viable organisation. At a special conference on 2 December 1986 it was formally dissolved.

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 Egoli Heritage Foundation was formed as a result of merger of three iconic Johannesburg Heritage Organizations: The Johannesburg Branch of the Simon van der Stel Association (now the Heritage Association of South Africa), The Johannesburg Historical Foundation and The Sandton Historical Society. The Foundation is a founder member of the Heritage Register. Its predecessor, The Simon van der Stel Foundation was founded in 1959 with the aim of cultivation an appreciation for our history and especially our built environment. The Foundation was named after Simon van der Stel, Governor at the Cape (1679-1699). He was the first South African to promulgate conservation legislation. The Foundation was a registered non-profit making company, governed by a National Council representing the members of the organization. Its main purpose was to conserve the heritage by encouraging the public and private sector to restore old buildings, sites and objects. It also gives advice on restoration. Simon van der Stel Foundation had branches countrywide. It was the largest and oldest non-governmental (NGO) organization involved in heritage conservation. The Foundation is known today as Heritage South Africa and operates as non-profit section 21 company with many affiliated branches. The Egoli Heritage Foundation (EFT) established later, in the 1980s, is the affiliated body based in Johannesburg. It is a voluntarily organization involved in creating awareness of the importance of conserving our heritage. It's members are taking steps to protect buildings in danger of demolition due to neglect, or ignorance of the law. The Egoli Heritage Foundation runs many projects in order to save our heritage buildings. One of them is the raising of plaques on historical structures.

Dr Albert Davies worked at the Jane Furse Memorial Hospital in Sekhukhuniland from 1957-1982, most of the time as Medical Superintendent. Dr Davies was an avid photographer and the collection includes slides and photographs depicting the work of the hospital and the surrounding communities and vegetation. His wife, Grace Davies, wrote a book on the hospital and her source material and original manuscript is contained in the collection. The collection was deposited by his son, Andy Davies.

The Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg, was founded in 1976 by Mannie Manim and Barney Simon. It was housed in what used to be Johannesburgs Indian Fruit Market, built in 1913. The Market Theatre became an icon of the struggle against Apartheid since its inception in 1976. The practitioners that worked there between the years 1976 and 1994 were actively involved in the struggle against Apartheid, and much of the work that was developed and performed then was Struggle Theatre. This then in its entirety forms a very important part of South African history, and documents work that was written and performed in the light of cultural boycotts at the time. Any archive that exists on The Market Theatre that includes activities over these years serves as both theatre archive and Apartheid archive.
The Market Theatre is now administered through The Market Theatre Foundation, together with The Market Laboratory, The Market Photo Workshop and the Windybrow Arts Centre.

Christ the King Anglican Church was originally designed by Frank Flemming and built in 1935 in Sophiatown. The church is a simple but beautiful building and its most distinctive feature was a mural painted between 1939 and 1941 by Sister Margaret with the assistance of 12 apprentice students, who worked under patronage of the Gerhard Sekoto Foundation.
The church is closely connected to the anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Trevor Huddleston the forced removals around Sophiatown, which started in 1955. In 1967 the church was deconsecrated and sold to the department of community development, after which the building was badly vandalized including the beautiful mural. The Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk bought the building in the 1970s and used it for Sunday School. The Christ the King Church changed hands again when the Pinkster Protestante Kerk bought it and made significant changes to the building.
It was only in 1997 that the Anglican Church acquired the building again, and restored it as best as possible to its former state. The tower of the Christ the King Church was declared a national monument. In 2004 a mural was restored on the northern exterior wall of the church, depicting Archbishop Trevor Huddleston walking the dusty streets of Sophiatown with two children on each hand.

South African historian and a world authority on the history of the South African mining industry, early trade unionism, medical history and the history of Johannesburg.

She will be remembered for her two masterful works of South African historical scholarship, which were based respectively on her M.A., earned in 1974 at the University of the Witwatersrand and on her Doctoral dissertation for which she was awarded her PhD by Wits in 1990. Her first impressive study was 'A Trade Union Aristocracy: the Transvaal White Working Class and the General Strike of 1913' (1976), published by the African Studies Institute at Wits. In 1994, Wits University Press published her authoritative study, 'White Death: Silicosis on the Witwatersrand Gold Mines 1886-1918'. These two works established Elaine's reputation as a leading historian of the South African gold mining industry. She gathered international accolades and her reputation was enhanced by her journal publications and presentations to a range of international conferences on mining history.

In 1995, Elaine achieved the by no means minor distinction in academic circles of publishing a pioneering article in one of the top rated economic history journals of the time, the Economic History Review (UK) with a path-breaking critical article on a key debate of the decade, 'Outcrop and deep level mining in South Africa before the Anglo-Boer War: re-examining the Blainey thesis'. This frequently cited article brought her scholarship to the attention of an overseas audience and fostered much interest in the complexities of the South African version of mining capitalism and the links between technology, geology and labour issues.

Elaine is additionally remembered for her work, together with Eric Axelson and Edward Tabler, on the publication Baines on the Zambezi, 1858-1859, a prestige collector's limited edition published by the Brenthurst Press in 1982. This book was the eighth book in the first Brenthurst Africana series and remains one of the most sought after.

In 2008, Elaine contributed a major piece on Johannesburg to the New Encyclopaedia of Africa, published in the USA and edited by John Middleton. In her final years, her research took her into the subject of the role of American mining engineers and mining technology in the Witwatersrand gold mining industry; a recent talk on this subject at the Rand Club was received with accolades. Elaine also became interested in Jewish genealogy and in her own extensive family history, and applied her skills of careful scholarly research and data gathering to this new area of interest.

Elaine Katz taught at Wits for many years and she was an excellent, demanding yet· encouraging lecturer and teacher. She was versatile, serving successively as a lecturer and later senior lecturer in the Departments of History, Economic History and Communications Studies at Wits and, following her formal retirement, she held an honorary research fellowship in the Wits History Department from 1995 until her passing.

Extracts with permission from an Obituary, written by Kathy Munroe and published in 'Jewish Affairs', Vol. 72, No. 2.

Chris Bolsmann is a South African sociologist. His research and teaching interests are in the social history of sport with specific emphasis on association football. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Warwick in Britain in 2006. He completed his MA and BA degrees at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He has taught amongst others at the Universities of Pretoria and Johannesburg in South Africa, the University of Seoul in South Korea and the University of Warwick and Aston University in Britain. He is presently working as Professor of Sports Studies, in the Department of Kinesiology, at the California State University Northridge.

Franz Auerbach was born into the Jewish family in Germany and came to South Africa with his parents in 1937. Franz was helping his family to raise some income by teaching English to other immigrants. He left school at the end of Std. 8 and joined a commercial company as an account clerk, while studying further part-time. He passed his Matric by attending night classes at the Technical College and earned a BA degree by correspondence. He later acquired three further degrees including a PhD from the University of Natal. Franz Auerbach comes from the Jewish background and religion, which had a formative influence on his life.

In South Africa he was associated with Jewish institutions and organizations, like African Yad Vashem Foundation and South African Jewish Board of Deputies. Most of his life he spent in Education and was deeply committed to the teaching profession. He taught in African Night Schools for over 20 years. Having a strong sense of Jewish history he called himself a Jewish Humanist. Auerbach was sensitive to the issue of racial discrimination and anti-Semitism under Apartheid in South Africa. He was strongly committed and believed in the importance of education, which can improve life of the society. He promoted Education for Peace, where teaching attitudes and values are extremely important.