Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
10 items, Manuscripts and publications
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
A.S. Mopeli-Paulus was born on the 15 January 1913, the eldest son of a tribal chief of the Basuto. His grandfather was the brother of Moshesh. Gives an account of his life at Witzieshoek as a young boy. Received a Christian education and trained as a teacher. His university studies were interrupted by the war, and he served in North Africa.
Subsequently to the Witzieshoek uprising, he was arrested and sentenced for his part in the disturbances. After his release he started a new life in Johannesburg, as a truck driver and a writer in his spare time.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Unpublished literary manuscripts of novels, plays, short stories and poetry, in English and Sesotho. The subject matter is primarily the relationship between the black and white peoples of Southern Africa and the problems of the urban Black. Included are a collection of short stories on Tongoland and an autobiographical sketch in which he describes the clash between the Basuto and the authorities during the Witsiehoek Commission of Enquiry, 1949.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Publication note
A copy of his autobiographical book, “The World and the Cattle”, published by ‘Penguin’ as part of their series ‘Modern Classics’. The book is one of the few written accounts by a black soldier who fought in Egypt during World War II, as part of the black regiment in the South African Army within the Allied forces.
Notes area
Note
Alternate title: Mopeli-Paulus, Attwell Sidwell