Showing 362 results

Act No 1 of 1872, the Constitution Ordinance Amendment Act, which gave the Cape responsible government, entrusted the administration of the blacks within the Colony who were “not sufficiently civilized to be brought under ordinary law” to the Secretary for Native Affairs. Mr Charles Brownlee was the first appointee in this post.

In 1893 the administration of Native Affairs was entrusted to the Prime Minister with the Under Secretary for Native Affairs acting as the immediate head of this branch of the Prime Minister’s Office. On 1 July 1897 the relevant position was renamed Superintendent of Native Affairs. In July 1899 this designation was discarded and that of Secretary to the Native Affairs Department substituted. The Native Affairs Department continued to remain part of the Prime Minister's Office until Union in 1910.

The Publications & Entertainments Act No 26 of 1963 "created a central body, the Publications Control Board, to decide on the compatibility of publications (excluding newspapers), objects, films, and public entertainments with certain standards of indecency and obscenity... A right of appeal did, however, lie from a decision of this Board to the Supreme Court, except in the case of films where there was an appeal only to the Minister of the Interior".

The Publications Act, 1974 (Act No 42 of 1974) came into operation on 1 April 1975 and replaced and repealed the Publications Entertainment Act, 1963.

The purpose of the Department of Agricultural Credit and Land Tenure was to promote the stabilisation of the undertakings of farmers and prospective farmers who could not obtain credit from normal financial institutions, and to acquire land and control State land.

ORGANISATION AND MAIN FUNCTIONS

Land Tenure Board: Advised the Minister on the value of land, and any rights in or over land; the alienation and allocation of non-agricultural State land, and on any other matter which the Minister may refer to the Board.

Agricultural Credit Board: Decisions on the nature and extent of assistance to farmers or prospective farmers, as well as the conditions of such assistance. The Board was assisted by agricultural credit committees in each magisterial district. The Board also advised the Minister on matters concerning agricultural land.

Land Acquisition Branch: Acquisition of land for specific public purposes.

State Land Control Branch: Control over the State's interests in land.

Assistance Branch: Granting of financial assistance for agricultural purposes.

Survey Branch: Control of all matters regarding cadastral, topographic and geodetic surveying. The Branch consisted of two main divisions, namely the offices of the surveyors-general which dealt with cadastral surveys on a provincial basis, and the trigonometrical survey office which controlled topographic, cartographic and geodetic work.

National Parks Board of Trustees: This Board was a statutory board controlling State land proclaimed national parks. The Department made available the required land as well as certain funds, and handled all legislative measures.

The Village Management Board of Glen Lily, Fairfield and Parow was constituted on 4 December 1903 under provision of Proclamation No 369 in terms of the Villages Management Act, 1881 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette, No 8605, 15 December 1903).

The Municipality of Parow was established with effect from 8 September 1939 under provision of Proclamation No 126 of 1939 in terms of Ordinance No 10 of 1921 and Ordinance No 10 of 1912 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 440, 8 September 1939).

In terms of Proclamation No 27 of 28 May 1996 the Tygerberg Substructure was established on 29 May 1996 with the amalgamation of Parow, Bellville, Goodwood, Lingelethu West, Durbanville, Mfuleni and parts of Cape Town, Milnerton and the Cape Metropolitan Board (The Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary, No 5051, 28 May 1996).

The Municipality of Tulbagh was constituted on 27 August 1861 in terms of Proclamation No 61, 1861 under provision of Ordinance No 9, 1836 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 3285, 3 September 1861).

The lacunae in the archives up to 1969 resulted from the earthquake which occurred in Tulbagh during that year (Cape Archives File 12/4/2 Tulbagh Vol 1).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Tulbagh Municipality together with the Municipality of Ceres, Matroosberg Transitional Representative Council, Municipality of Prince Alfred’s Hamlet, Witzenberg Transitional Representative Council and Municipality of Wolseley was disestablished and the Witzenberg Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5590, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 487, 22 September 2000). The Witzenberg Local Municipality forms part of the larger Cape Winelands District Municipality.

The community council system introduced by the Community Councils Act, 1997 (Act 125 of 1997) functioned as the forerunner of municipal authorities for Black urban areas. The latter were established in terms of the Black Local Authorities Act, 1982 (Act 102 of 1982) and replaced the councils. The new Black local authorities were comparable with those existing for white areas (JJN Cloete: South African Local Government and Administration, 1989, p 27).

Mfuleni was one of seven townships with an own local town council in the Western Cape metropolitan area, established in terms of the Black Local Authorities Act, 1982. The town was established as a transit area for migrant workers in 1974, prior to this act. It consisted mainly of hostels, until some free-standing homes were erected in 1976 (Correspondence file of Mfuleni Town Council, 10/1/3/3).

Extensive changes at local government level were brought about by the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993). Previously separate local authorities were amalgamated and the creation of metropoles and substructures were provided for. In terms of this act, the Cape Metropolitan Council was established in 1995. One of the substructures under its control was that of Tygerberg which was made up of the municipalities of Bellville, Parow, Durbanville, Mfuleni, Lingelethu West and areas such as Elsies River, Belhar, Matroosfontein, Delft, Richwood and Bothasig (Provincial Gazette of the Western Cape Province, No 4929 of 6 February 1995, Proclamation No 18 of 3 February 1995).

The Village Management Board of Niekerkshoop was constituted on 18 June 1906 under provision of Proclamation No 199 in terms of the Villages Management Act of 1881 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 8873, 10 July 1906).

Prior to the establishment of the Village Management Board, a Village Commission was chosen by the inhabitants of Niekerkshoop in 1903 when the village was founded. The Commission ceased to exist on the formation of the Board (3/NKP 1/2/1).

The Village Management Board of Great Brak River was established on 1 December 1943 under provision of section one (1) of Ordinance No 11, 1921 in terms of Proclamation No 135 of 1943 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 2075, 3 December 1943). The Board ceased to function with effect from 1 January 1975 when the Municipality of Great Brak River was established.

The Municipality of Great Brak River was established with effect from 1 January 1975 under the provisions of Section 5(1) and 8(1) of the Municipal Ordinance No 20, 1974 in terms of Proclamation No 414, 1974 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Extraordinary Official Gazette, No 3809, 3 December 1974).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Municipality of Great Brak River together with the municipalities of Mossel Bay and Herbertsdale, the Friemersheim Transitional Council, and the transitional representative councils of Mossel Bay and Outeniqua, was disestablished and the Mossel Bay Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5592, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 500, 22 September 2000). The Mossel Bay Local Municipality forms part of the larger Eden (now Garden Route) District Municipality.

The Village Management Board of Hopefield was constituted on 24 December 1902 in terms of Proclamation No 282 of 1902 under provision of the Villages Management Act of 1881 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 8505, 30 December 1902).

According to a declaration signed by the Town Clerk, Hopefield on 3 October 1984, the majority of early archives were not preserved.

The Municipality of Hopefield was constituted on 2 April 1914 in terms of Proclamation No 95 of 1914 under provision of Ordinance No 10 of 1912 (Provincial Gazette of Cape of Good Hope No 134, 24 April 1914).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Municipality of Hopefield together with the Municipality of Langebaan, the Malmesbury Transitional Representative Council and the West Coast Peninsula Transitional Council was disestablished and the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5589, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 484, 22 September 2000). The Saldanha Bay Local Municipality forms part of the larger West Coast District Municipality.

According to a declaration signed by the Town Clerk, Hopefield on 3 October 1984, a certain portion of archives have not remained preserved.

The Village Management Board of Ritchie was established on 30 April 1909 under Proclamation No 223 of 1909 in terms of the provisions of the Villages Management Act 1881.

Most of the archives were damaged by floods which occurred in the Ritchie District during 1974.