AG 873 – Gaol and Custom House, Buitenkant Street, Cape Town, 1832

Punishment at the Cape under the Dutch East India Company mainly consisted of public spectacles of torture and death. Imprisonment as a penalty and the consequent establishment of prison systems in garrisons and administrative outposts in the Colony only came about under British rule at the beginning of the 19th Century.

By the middle of the 19^th Century, British authorities felt that these early prisons had become insufficient in dealing with crime. An Ordinance was drawn up and a Board of Commissioners of Public Prisons was established in order to assess and rectify the state of prisons in the Colony. It was decided to build a new prison.

E 8199 – Roeland Street Prison from a water colour, probably during the 1800s

The prison was designed by the Colonial Civil Engineer, George Pilkington. The cornerstone was laid in 1855 and, with the labour of convicts, immigrants and ‘convicted seamen’, construction was completed in 1858 at the cost of £18167. It was the largest prison in the Colony at the time and became a landmark at the entrance to Cape Town.

CA 2774 – Iron railings guarding the exercise yard of one of the cell blocks, 1977

Despite being referred to as a ‘palace’, overcrowding, sickness, discomfort and severe penalties such floggings and beatings were inflicted on the inmates. The prison was described in 1936 as ‘rat-infested’ with the rodents running over sleeping bodies at night.

Under apartheid rule, the prison became a place of racial segregation and living conditions deteriorated to the point that it was nicknamed Cape Town’s ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’. Prison rations were described by as ‘unscientific’ and were known as ‘hungry man’s food’.

AG 17611 – Staff of the Roeland Street Prison, 1929

The prison was not intended to house long-term prisoners. Those who were intended to serve prison terms of longer than a year were sent to convict stations in the rural areas. There were about 50 wardens and up to 800 prisoners at any given time at Roeland Street prison. During apartheid, the prison was also used to detain political prisoners.

CA 2985 – Master keys made by prisoners

Despite being virtually inescapable, due to its strict security and high walls, eleven prisoners managed to escape in 1946 by smuggling in saw blades and sawing open bars, escaping across the roof and landing in the street. Many instruments were discovered that are testament to prisoners’ attempts at escape.

IDP-3.194-9.87.01.132 Basil February

Learn more about the political prisoners who were held at the Roland Street Prison.

CA3388 – Roeland Street, Cape Town, 6 Nov. 1986

Roeland Street Prison was closed in April 1977, when the last 214 prisoners, including those awaiting trial, women and some illegal Chinese immigrants, were transferred to Pollsmoor prison. The building was then handed over to the Department of Public Works. The prison was demolished in the 1980s but part of the outer wall and the old main entrance were preserved.

AG 17110 – Aerial view of the Western Cape Archives and Records Service after completion, 1989

A new specially designed building to house the provincial archives was constructed between 1986 and 1989 and the first consignment of archives was moved to the new building in December 1989. The building incorporates 46 strong rooms containing more than 43km of shelving space, a delivery area, bindery, offices and a Reading Room.

View of the archives

Our earliest record dates from 1651 and the holdings stretch over a time period of about 400 years.

The Western Cape Archives is predominantly an archive of state, keeping records of the various governments of the Cape. This includes the Dutch East India Company, British Cape Colony, Cape Provincial Government and the Western Cape Provincial Government. It also holds a small but significant collection of private materials donated by individuals or organisations.

As an archive consisting mainly of government documents, the records inevitably reflect the injustices and inequalities of Colonialism, and then Apartheid. Today, in democratic South Africa, these same documents are being used by a diverse body of researchers to acknowledge and reckon with our country’s history.

Scanning archival documents

An archivist organises, manages and keeps safe historical documents (called “records”). Archivists use specialised techniques to evaluate, organise, index, describe and preserve records – ensuring that they remain in good condition and are accessible to researchers and other users.

They are important in preserving cultural heritage and ensuring that future generations can access important historical documents and artefacts. They are also vital in providing information and guidance to professional researchers, scholars and the public who want to access historical records.