Our Archives Service gives you the opportunity to view historical documents. Whether you need to know more about your family history or access documents for research, our archives is the place to go.
Situated in Roeland Street in Cape Town, they store some of the oldest documents in our country that date back to 1651.
Records are available and classified as:
Jo-Anne Duggan, director of Archival Platform, believes that archives play an important role in our country. “They are responsible for ensuring the proper management of all records of government and for preserving these for future generations.”
Duggan said archives services can help us to come to terms with the past, understand the present or imagine our future. Here’s how these records can be useful to you in everyday life.
Family history
Tracing your family history (genealogy) is not only an exciting opportunity to know more about the past, it can also help you access estate papers that are issued after death. These papers include wills and death notices. If you’re curious about the past, you can:
Media data
Much like estate records, photographs, sound and electronic data provide useful insight about the past. Here are some reasons to use this service:
Maps, sketches and plans
These documents are part of public records that helps government deliver services. Records include town planning, the building of schools, housing and other infrastructure. These records are useful to engineers, students, researchers and government.
Visit us
If you’re interested in using this service you can find our building at:
72 Roeland Street
Cape Town
South Africa
Opening hours are:
Mondays to Fridays: 08:00 to 16:00
Except Thursdays: 08:00 to 19:00 (reading room)
First Saturday of each month: 9:00 to 13:00 (reading room)
What you need to know before visiting
Celebrating National Archives Week
Our Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport will celebrate from 11 May to 15 May 2015. You can visit the archives or participate in the following activities:
There are also many outreach programmes taking place across our province.
Get in touch
If you need more information about this service, contact us at 021 483 0400.