A DELIVERY FROM THE STATES A MESSENGER BOYS’ LONG JOURNEY TO PRETORIA
By: Jan van den Bos, Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Cultural History During the 1890s, the ‘messenger boy’ was a familiar figure, carrying both joyful and sorrowful news. The birth of a child or the death of a beloved one was
THAUMA: HOW MUSEUMS REMEMBER THEMSELVES
By: David Rilley-Harris, Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Military History (DNMMH) Thauma – a way to another world. (Picture: DITSONG: National Museum of Military History. The Rand Regiments Memorial). If you have ever paused before an object in a museum and felt an
THE REMARKABLE EMERGENCY NOTES OF 1900–1902
By: Julia Montlha, Curator: Numismatics and Philately, DITSONG: National Museum of Cultural History The South African War (1899–1902) was not only fought on the battlefield but also through control of logistics, resources, and the economy. This economic aspect led to the
QUEEN MODJADJI OF THE BALOBEDU TRIBE (Rain Queen)
By: Abraham Mohale, Junior Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Military History Figure 1, Queen Masalanabo Modjadji VII (Source: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2025-01-15-queen-masalanabo-modjadji-vii-makes-history-with-matric-success) Introduction During the latter part of the 1580s, the once peaceful kingdom of Monomotapa in ancient Zimbabwe experienced great upheaval. A son of the
THE HISTORY OF SWARTKRANS: A WINDOW INTO DEEP TIME
By: Lazarus Kgasi, Junior Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History The Swartkrans cave complex, located northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, is among the world's most significant palaeoanthropological sites. Its history of scientific research spans over seven decades and can be divided
THE FLINTLOCK RIFLE: A WEAPON THAT SHAPED HISTORY
By: A.Veldman, Curator: DITSONG: National Museum of Military History The flintlock rifle was more than just a firearm – it was a transformative technology that reshaped warfare, exploration, and colonisation across the world. From European battlefields to the American frontier and
TELEPHONES, MOTOR CARS AND FILM: TECHNOLOGY IN KRUGER’S TIME
By: Jaco Schoonraad, Site Curator: DITSONG: Kruger Museum and DITSONG: Sammy Marks Museum Introduction During Paul Kruger’s presidency, the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) was not isolated from the rapid technological advances of the late 19th century. Pretoria gained its first telephone exchange in
THE SEXTON: SELF-PROPELLED 25-POUNDER GUN
By: Michael Tobolo, Junior Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Military History Introduction The Sexton S P 25-pounder gun was developed when the British and Canadian Armies recognised the need for a mobile artillery piece that could keep pace with tanks across all
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DINOFELIS BARLOWI AND DINOFELIS PIVETEAUI: MORPHOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND HABITATS
By: Lazarus Kgasi, Junior Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History Dinofelis, an extinct genus of saber-toothed cats, is well-presented in South Africa's fossil record. Its remains have been found at several key sites, including the Pliocene deposits at Langebaanweg in