LibGuides: Historical Studies Library Guide: Newspapers

In Print

Special Collections holds a collection of local and national newpapers and a range of Southern African newspapers. There are also several large collections of news clippings indexed by subject.

UCT Libraries suffered a devastating fire on Sunday 18 April 2021 and we are still assessing the damage and loss. Please note that the library holdings for the African Studies Library, Government Publications, Rare Books and Manuscripts may no longer be accurate. Please use the services of the National Library of South Africa.

Electronic Access

Online access to local, national and international newspapers is limited to that which is freely available on the web. Many of these newspapers require subscriptions before their entire content may be viewed.

However, UCT Libraries does have access to the following:-

S A Media (via Sabinet Online)
A comprehensive South African press cuttings service providing access to more than 3 million newspaper reports and periodicals.
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Please select SA Media from the list of products.

Times Digital Archive 1785 - 1985 This link opens in a new window
Provides a complete searchable digital edition of The Times (London) from 1785. Researchers can search through the complete digital edition of The Times (London), using keyword searching and hit-term highlighting to retrieve full facsimile images of either a specific article or a complete page. The entire newspaper is captured, with all articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching.

World Newspaper Archive: African Newspapers 1800 - 1922
LexisNexis Academic
Library Press Display
PressDisplay provides online access for the previous 6 months to a growing number of newspapers and magazines from all over the world (including South Africa), displayed in their original format and accessible by country, language, or title.
Rand Daily Mail Archive (1902 - 1985)

African Newspapers, Series 2, 1835 - 1925 This link opens in a new window
Expanding the coverage found in the inaugural edition of African Newspapers, this second series delivers more than 40 additional African newspapers published between 1835 and 1925. Featuring English- and foreign-language titles from Algeria, Liberia, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda, African Newspapers, Series 2, offers deep and unique coverage of the issues and events that shaped the continent and its peoples during this period of major change.
Sunday Times Archive 1906 - 2006 This link opens in a new window Known as “the paper for the people,” South Africa’s largest Sunday newspaper has been covering the people, issues and events that shaped South Africa and beyond for over a century. Through firsthand reporting, photographs, editorials, cartoons and more, the Sunday Times has recorded every major historical event of the 20th century, making it a vital resource for scholars in a variety of disciplines. Now, each issue is available in a fully searchable digital archive, offering students and researchers fresh insight into decades of South African, African and world history.
Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals, Series 2: Empire This link opens in a new window
19th Century UK Periodicals is a major multi-part series which covers the events, lives, values and themes that shaped the 19th century world. It is mainly based on the repositories of the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of South Africa, the National Library of Australia, and many others.