Earlier this month, a crate containing a very special collection of invaluable documents, was delivered to the Stellenbosch University (SU) Library and Information’s Manuscripts Section. 

The collection, the documentary legacy of Ingrid Jonker, arrived at the SU Library after a long journey from The Hague in the Netherlands. 

Ingrid Jonker (1933-1965) was a critically acclaimed Afrikaans poet who challenged conservative literary and political norms. Using her distinctive free verse and imagery she made a significant contribution to literature and human rights in her short life and is remembered as a humane, forward-thinking literary voice.

The repatriation of the collection from the Literature Museum in The Hague was facilitated by SASNEV (Suid-Afrikaanse Sentrum vir Nederland en Vlaandere). Prof Andries Visagie of SU’s Department Afrikaans and Dutch and SASNEV board member, facilitated the collection to be hosted by the Manuscripts Section of the Special Collections Division.

Explains Ms Ellen Tise, Senior Director of the SU Library and Information Service: “Stellenbosch University is privileged to be the new home of the collection and be its custodian as it is important for cultural heritage to be preserved in its country of origin and many heritage collections over the years sadly have found homes abroad. The University recognises the value of the collection, and the significance of Jonker as a poet.” 

Tise adds that after Nelson Mandela included a reading of Jonker’s poem “The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers at Nyanga” during the opening of the first democratic parliament in South Africa in 1994, Jonker has become a symbol of hope, resistance, and freedom in post-apartheid South Africa for many, emphasising her significance as a poet whose work reflect the struggles and resilience of marginalized communities. 

The Manuscripts Section of SU Library and Information Service has been making manuscript and personal collections available for research since inception in 1967. To date the section houses just over 460 collections and these typically consist of correspondence, manuscripts, diaries, notebooks, photographs and personalia, giving unique insight into lives and histories. Some recent acquisitions were the collections of former SU Chancellor and Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron and Afrikaner anti-apartheid activist Frederik van Zyl Slabbert.

Afrikaans literary collections form a core part and focus of what is housed in the Manuscripts Section of the Library. In the context of Afrikaans literary history, especially with regards to the “Sestigers” movement, the collection’s research value is significant as it finds a home among other “Sestiger” collections such as those of Jan Rabie, Uys Krige, Elsa Joubert and Breyten Breytenbach also housed in the Manuscripts Section. 

Comments Tise: “These collections intersect with each other and form a complimentary network of knowledge and information invaluable for research. The collections’ intrinsic value is unlocked by local and international academics and scholars alike who publish various research outputs emanating from these collections, adding to an academic corpus of work reflecting the literary history of South Africa. In this digital era, working with physical primary documentary material is a unique experience which will also hopefully appeal to a younger generation of scholars.” 

Adds Ms Mimi Seyffert-Wirth, Director: Scholarly Communication & Marketing: “A quick glance at the very well-preserved collection which was carefully removed from the crate reveals a potential treasure trove, a life reflected on paper. The collection includes various iterations of her poems, some with English translations, some with annotations, showing progression and changes. There are also letters, including correspondence with Laurens van der Post, Jack Cope and André P Brink, notebooks, photographs and miscellaneous materials making up this distinctive personal collection.” 

As it is the core function and responsibility of the Library to preserve our heritage for future generations and to make it available for the widest possible audience, it is especially important to have this unique collection back in its country of origin in an environment where it can be optimally curated and preserved.

The Library will now process the collection and it should be accessible to researchers and the public by April 2026 after which the Library will present an official launch of the collection.