http://hdl.handle.net/10500/2860 2013-05-23T04:29:13Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/8830 UNITED PARTY DIVISION OF INFORMATION: 1905-1990 Coetzee, Marié A A year after losing the 1948 election against the National Party, the United Party established the Division of Information and Research in Johannesburg. Party officials were sent on official study tours to the United States and the United Kingdom to research marketing, fundraising and campaigning techniques and strategies abroad. On their return, the Division actively launched marketing campaigns, created publicity materials and conducted surveys on behalf of the UP. The marketing campaigns carried slogans such as Election Victory, UP Symbol, Car Sticker and Freedom Cavalcades. New marketing materials were created including United Party ties, tie pins, cuff links, brooches, earrings, table cloths and wall hangings. Fundraising fêtes were organised countrywide to fund elections campaigns. The Division also created, designed and distributed many publications, pamphlets, posters, newspapers and newsletters such as Die Volkstem, Politics Today and Speakers’ Notes to keep party members informed about the political issues of the day. At the same time the Division of Information created an Archive of records, biographical information, materials on other political parties and information resources on issues and persons who played a role in South African politics and society. These files contain valuable reports, pamphlets, press cuttings and photographs. They include interesting information on subjects such as apartheid, banned persons and detentions, church and politics, university education, evidence and photos from commissions of enquiries such as the Snyman Commission on the POQO PAC Paarl riots, Sharpeville, commonwealth issues, race relations and race classification, trade unions, the Freedom Charter, terrorism and sabotage, Springbok Legion and the War Veterans Torch Commando to name but a few. To date about 375 files of the Division’s files on subjects and individuals have been processed. The available files listed, include materials on UP Party leaders General JC Smuts, General Louis Botha, JGN Strauss, Sir De Villiers Graaff and Vause Raw; prime ministers Dr DF Malan, Dr HF Verwoerd, BJ Vorster and PW Botha; politicians Helen Suzman, Cathy Taylor, Anna Scheepers, Dr Moroka, Kaiser Matanzima and Nelson Mandela; religious leaders such as the Rev Beyers Naudé and Bishop Lekganyane and many others. Inventory in the Unisa Archives, United Party (Division of Information, Official Papers) 422 Boxes. 2013-03-28T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/7757 Douglas E Mitchell Papers (1941-1984) le Roux, Annette Douglas Edgar Mitchell (1896 – 1988) Douglas Mitchell, a United Party stalwart and Member of the Natal Provincial Council was born in Natal on 8 September 1896. Mr Mitchell was elected to the Provincial Council in 1933 and set out to improve the infrastructure of the rural areas. In 1939 he became a Member of the Executive Committee and accepted the portfolio of Financial Affairs. After being appointed Administrator of Natal in 1944, he spent a fruitful three years putting his post-war reconstruction plan for Natal into action. Douglas Mitchell had a lifelong love for nature and an abiding interest in nature conservation. As MEC and later as Administrator he was responsible for introducing provincial legislation to establish proper control and development of the nature reserves and parks in Natal. He resigned as Administrator in 1947 to take part in the general election of 1948. Mr Mitchell was elected to the South Coast Constituency and served it for 26 years until he left Parliament in 1974. He was also elected chairman of the United Party in 1949 and held this post until 1972 when he resigned. Douglas Mitchell died in 1988. THE DOUGLAS E MITCHELL PAPERS (5.3 LINEAR METRES) The Douglas E Mitchell Papers, which were donated by Mr Mitchell in January 1975, is a very important collection in the United Party Archives. The papers denote the distinguished career of a man who played an important part in the political, constitutional, agricultural and nature conservation life and development of Natal. The bulk of the collection dates from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. It contains correspondence, memoranda, pamphlets, press cuttings and publications. The correspondence clearly shows the concern Mr Mitchell had for his constituents and other citizens of Natal, and the trouble he went to, to try and resolve their problems. The papers concerning the United Party give insight into the functioning of the Party on provincial level and the leadership style of Mr Mitchell. The relationship between the Torch Commando, the United Democratic Front and the United Party in Natal can also be traced in the material. The collection is a valuable asset in the wider picture of the history of the United Party and will be of value to researchers. Inventory in the Unisa Archives, United Party (Private Papers) 53 Boxes. 2012-11-12T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5431 UNITED PARTY ORANGE FREE STATE PROVINCIAL OFFICE: 1936-1982 Coetzee, Marié A United Party :Orange Free State Provincial Office 1936-1982 In terms of an agreement with the United Party in 1969, Unisa Library became the official custodian and processor of the Party’s political archives. The Archives also include the United Party’s predecessors and its successor the New Republic Party and the records of parties which broke away from the UP e.g. the Progressive Party (later the Progressive Federal Party). The Collection continued to grow even after the dissolution of the UP in 1977 and the final meeting of the trustees of the New Republic Party in 1989. The scope of the archival records The Orange Free State Provincial Office files consist of 2,7 linear metres of records (27 boxes). This Office is part of the larger - approximate 500 linear metes - United Party Archives which are available to national as well as international researchers. The Archives are of particular value in that the records are the official documents of a white South African political party who ruled for 38 years and who were the official opposition for 39 years. Over the years the Archives have been consulted by biographers, historians, politicians, educators, TV and film directors, lawyers, socialists and others. The constituency files are important as they show the social changes of communities over time. After the nineteen-fifties, the urban population grew in sharp contrast to the diminishing rural population. As a result of urbanization, successive Delimitation Commissions created new urban constituencies and abolished or merged rural constituencies. The arrangement of the UP Archives A new filing system was designed to accommodate past and future donations. To assist with the identification of records, a database of all candidates of all parties who took part in elections and by-elections from 1910 to 1987 in South Africa and Namibia, was created. Thanks to the archival process of arrangement and description, the rich information resources of the United Party have become accessible and useable for past, present and future researchers. Inventory in the Unisa Archives, United Party (Orange Free State Provincial Office, Official Papers) 27 Boxes. 2012-02-22T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5403 JP Niehaus Papers le Roux, Annette Jacques Pierre de Mowbray Niehaus was born in Clanwilliam in 1910. He was educated at the Rondebosch Boys High School and at the University of Cape Town graduating with a BA LLB degree. In 1931 he received the degree LLM from London University. Two years later, Mr Niehaus (also known as Percy) became Assistant Attorney-General of South West Africa (now Namibia) and from 1939 to 1941 he was acting Attorney-General for the Territory. In 1945 he represented the United National South West Party (UNSWP) in the SWA election and was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly for Okahandja, becoming a member of the Executive Committee and Leader of the UNSWP in 1950. From 1955 to 1966 Percy Niehaus represented the Windhoek East constituency in the Legislative Assembly of South West Africa. Mr Niehaus also served in the South African Parliament as a nominated United Party senator for Natal during the period 1970 to 1974. He continued to be active in South West African politics, becoming chairman of the SWA Action Group in 1976 and took part in the Turnhalle Convention the following year. He represented AKTUR (Action for the Retention of the Turnhalle Principles) in the National Assembly from 1978 onwards. THE J P NIEHAUS PAPERS (3.2 linear metres) The Niehaus Papers were donated to the United Party Archives in 1991 and reflect the distinguished political and legal career of a man who played an important part over several decades in the development of South West Africa. The papers comprise of correspondence, memoranda, pamphlets and press cuttings which would be of great interest to students of history and political science. The subject material ranges from agricultural, economic, labour and constitutional matters to legal affairs, with the accent always on South West Africa. The Niehaus Papers provide an overview of many of the events that brought about constitutional development and changes in South West Africa/Namibia. Inventory in the Unisa Archives, United Party (Private Papers) 32 Boxes. 2012-02-14T00:00:00Z