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Missing voices: border war memories, meanings and archival musings
Abstract
This article explores a unique and pioneering archival oral history project
undertaken by the Historical Papers Archive at the University of the Witwatersrand. The project, “Missing Voices: the untold stories of apartheid’s
war?” collected personal experiences, perceptions and stories from former members of the Self Defence Units from Thokoza and Katlehong on the East
Rand (Gauteng) and former members of the South African Defence Force,
mainly ex-32 Battalion, ex-31 Battalion, other permanent force members and
conscripts. In part the Missing Voices project aimed at exploring the experiences of individuals, not only recording their memories but also
examining the interviewees’ understanding of the people and political forces
they were engaged with and how these perceptions are viewed now more than
20 years later.
undertaken by the Historical Papers Archive at the University of the Witwatersrand. The project, “Missing Voices: the untold stories of apartheid’s
war?” collected personal experiences, perceptions and stories from former members of the Self Defence Units from Thokoza and Katlehong on the East
Rand (Gauteng) and former members of the South African Defence Force,
mainly ex-32 Battalion, ex-31 Battalion, other permanent force members and
conscripts. In part the Missing Voices project aimed at exploring the experiences of individuals, not only recording their memories but also
examining the interviewees’ understanding of the people and political forces
they were engaged with and how these perceptions are viewed now more than
20 years later.
