The papers document the political, trade union, and intellectual life of South Africa. There are large quantities of material relating to the South African Trade Union Congress, the South African Trades and Labour Council, and the South African Congress of Trade Unions. The collection is also very strong in material relating to the African National Congress, the Communist Party of South Africa, and its successor, the South African Communist Party. There is also research material relating to Jack and Ray's sociological work on the administration of criminal justice in South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, and Kenya; the health of rural Africans; health and safety in the mines; legal status of African women; class and race in South Africa; and the industrial colour bar.