The origins of university education in KwaZulu-Natal: The Natal University College 1909–19491

The neglected fond in university archives

“…From the foregoing, it is discernible that there is lack of awareness hence, the need of publicity for the sports union and its affiliate clubs to be conscientized about the University Archives as the custodian of the institution’s sporting heritage. Apparently, it is well documented that sport clubs at the UKZN have a long chequered history as noted by Guest (2015), and this explains the scattered nature of documentation and the few records that have survived owe their existence to the goodwill of individuals. Johnes (2015) agreed and noted that where sporting material is deposited in an archive, it can be down to the requests of individual archivists or a club official with a sense of history, a wish to see his/her organization and own actions remembered, or even just a desire to free up some space in an office.…”

“…Samuels (1992) aptly commented that this is a part of socialization which includes all those activities that foster social, cultural and physical development of the student outside the formal academic program. In the case of University of KwaZulu-Natal ( UKZN), Guest (2015) noted that rugby for instance was the most high-profile student sport and that sport in general provided a popular and more acceptable outlet for student energy during the formative years of the establishment of the then University of Natal. In the conduct of business, Esposito (2004) noted that records are thus created and these sport collections are inclusive of a wide gamut of archival collections.…”