Fonds AD1715 - South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), Records

D.R. Hunt to Gluckman, commenting on Gluckman's 'Sekukuniland until 1931' Memo on politics in the Rustenburg district Notes on 'Shangaan Tribes J.R. Mutsila - 'Venda Progress' Position paper relating to Native Service Contract Bill Chief S. Matlala to Rheinallt-Jones and others requesting support for listed grievances Batlokoa Chiefs' petition calling for the restoration of land and status typescript Timothy M. Moloke - 'The Petition on behalf of the Mandebele Tribes' Memo on the Native Services Contract Act E. Roux - 'Socialist Policy on the Reserves'
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Identity area

Reference code

ZA HPRA AD1715

Title

South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), Records

Date(s)

  • 1892-1974 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

56 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

(1929-)

Administrative history

After the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, legislation was enacted which discriminated against the non-White section of the population and increased the racial segregation existing at the time of Union. This angered many Blacks and caused a series of strikes by Black workers. By the 1920s responsible Europeans, particularly churchmen, saw the importance of bringing the races together. Native Welfare Societies, consisting of liberal and philanthropic Europeans, were founded which in due course were replaced by Joint Councils, inter-racial in character.

The Joint Council movement was largely the inspiration of Dr. Thomas Jesse Jones and Dr. J.E.K. Aggrey who in 1921 conducted a study tour of education in South Africa on behalf of the Phelps-Stokes Fund of the United States of America. They had seen the value of inter-racial councils in America and persuaded Dr. C.T. Loram, Chief Inspector of Education in Natal, and his friend J. D. Rheinallt Jones, Secretary of the Witwatersrand Council of Education, to establish a multi-racial organisation with the aim of promoting understanding and goodwill between the races. Rheinallt Jones founded the first Joint Council of Europeans and Africans in Johannesburg in 1921 and by 1931 there were in existence thirty European-African Joint Councils' three European-Indian Joint Councils and a European-Coloured Joint Council was in the process of formation. In all eighty Joint Councils were established, many of them continuing to exist side by side with the Institute of Race Relations after it was founded in 1929. By 1951 only two Joint Councils remained, of which only one was active.

During visits to South Africa in the 1920s Dr. Jesse Jones convinced Rheinallt Jones of the need to set up a national body to centralise interracial activities. The project was made possible by finance from the Phelps-Stokes Fund and the Carnegie Corporation. Rheinallt Jones convened an inter-racial conference in Cape Town in January 1929 which revealed enthusiasm for a national organisation. He called together a committee of seven prominent South Africans not connected with any political party - E.H. Brookes, Professor J. du Plessis, Professor D.D.T. Jabavu, Dr. C.T. Loram, T.W. Mackenzie, J.H. Nicholson and J.H. Pim. They met on 9 May 1929 at the house of the Rev. Dr. R.E. Phillips in Johannesburg, resolved to fern a South African Institute of Race Relations and elected C.T. Loram chairman Howard Pim treasurer and Rheinallt Jones secretary.

With the deaths of Mackenzie end Nicholson and the transfer of Loram to a professorial chair at Yale, the Committee was reduced to six but in 1930 Dr. J.G. van der Horst was added and in 1931 Professor R.F.A. Hoernle, Leo Marquard and Senator Lewis Byron. These ten committee members are regarded as the foundation members of the Institute.

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Scope and content

This collection comprises an assortment of Rheinhallt Jones and SAIRR papers, and complements and supplements other records of the Institute housed at Wits.

Again the emphasis is on 'Native Affairs' and 'race relations' in the broadest sense, primarily from the mid 1930's to 1950's. Section 5 - 'Administration of Africans' is particularly rich in this respect.

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Accruals

System of arrangement

The papers have been sorted into thirty-six categories. However, because of the diversity, or generalised nature, of some of the material, fairly arbitrary categorization of material was unavoidable.

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Please note: Some documents have been badly damaged prior to digitisation or are of poor quality.

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