The Malan years, 1962–1967
8.4. The Killie Campbell Africana Library
clergy of the Church of the Province of South Africa and ministers of other denominations who wish to come and study these theological works.”858
However, by far the most important and valuable donation to the University during this period was the bequest of the Africana library belonging to Dr M. R. “Killie” Campbell which passed into the hands of the University upon her death on 27th September 1965.
As “one of the largest private libraries of Africana in existence”859 it merits in-depth consideration.
College Library’s guide. The pleasure she took in her collection shines through, but, more importantly, it is quite obvious from this brief report that her intention was eventually to donate her library to the University. She wrote:
This Library has approximately 20,000 books and pamphlets and specialises chiefly in history and Bantu Africana. It is destined at some future date to be the nucleus of a library for the School of Bantu Studies which has just been
established in Durban in connection with the Natal University College. It comprises with various other interesting items the Colenso letters and papers also Colenso’s Digest “Commentary on Frere’s Policy” with marginal notes in his own handwriting. Missionary Journals, Chronicles and some diaries on Mission work and a great number of articles and extracts ... mostly to do with Bantu Customs, folk lore [sic] etc. and history. Reminiscences of early Settlers form a part either collected from old diaries or written or given by the descendents of Old Settlers. Photographs too are an important item chiefly collected from the point of view of Bantu or historical content.862
Campbell concludes: “Research Students are welcomed to use the library or any who are specially interested in Bantu ethnology and anthropology etc. and also history by
applying to Killie Campbell 220 Marriott Rd.”863
In 1946 the Principal, Dr E.G. Malherbe, wrote to Campbell as part of his fundraising drive, enclosing a copy of the brochure The development of the Natal University, and inviting her to “become a sponsor in this campaign for funds.”864 She replied, stating that:
I think the best way I can serve the Natal University College at present is by actively building up and collecting for my Africana library which eventually will go to the N.U.C. It is as you know being freely used by Research workers, students and writers...865
In 1948 Malherbe wrote again to her regarding “the bequest of your library to the Natal University College, which we discussed a while ago ...”866 as well as her interest in
establishing a museum of African culture and endowing a Chair of African Studies.867 He warned, though, of not attaching conditions to her will regarding land for the museum.
In this letter he says:
I am approaching the City Corporation again with a view to ascertaining whether we could get the land adjoining the present museum and library. As there is a
862 K. Campbell, The Campbell Africana Library, [23rd May 1946], unpublished.
863 Ibid.
864 E.G. Malherbe, Letter to K. Campbell, 6th August, 1946, unpublished.
865 K. Campbell, Letter to E.G. Malherbe, 10th August 1946, unpublished.
866 E.G. Malherbe, Letter to K. Campbell, 6th June 1948, unpublished, p. 1.
867 Ibid.
considerable amount of doubt as to whether we shall be able to acquire this land, you must please not make that a condition in your Will. Besides, if we do not acquire this additional land it is likely that in twenty years’ time we shall be forced to give up the City Building as we shall be completely squeezed out by the market.868
The following year she and her brother, Mr W. Campbell (known as “Wac”), offered to bequeath £8,000 and £10,000 respectively upon their deaths to the University of Natal for the purposes of erecting a library, to be called the “Killie Campbell Library” and a museum of African Studies, to be called the “Mashu Museum,869 ‘Mashu’ being the name by which the Donor’s father was known to the Zulus.”870 Contrary to Malherbe’s advice, though, the gifts were conditional upon the transfer by the Durban City Council to the University of Natal of suitable land close to the City Building. The Durban Corporation allocated the land but later took it back, as Campbell explained in a letter to Malan in 1962:
...I set aside money for a building to house my collection for the Natal University and the Corporation allocated ground near Warwick Avenue, but this ground has since been appropriated for transport purposes. Application has now been made for my Africana to remain here [at “Muckleneuk”], and this will release the money set aside for the building to be used for the upkeep of the collection. My firm rule has always been that no books should be taken out of this Library, and this must be carried out by the University.871
The housing of the library and the museum caused many problems. William Campbell decided, in 1954, to donate Muckleneuk to the City of Durban. It was to be a museum, containing the furniture, pictures and other items which he had amassed and was to be known as the “William Campbell Africana Museum,” entirely separate from the “Mashu Museum” and the Africana library. In a letter to Malan after Killie Campbell’s death author D.R. Morris,872 her friend and great admirer, wrote that he suspected the property was “originally deeded to the municipality in connection with a tax settlement” and indicated to Malan that Killie considered “a terrible mistake had been made in the disposition of the house.”873 In a subsequent letter to Malan he elaborated:
868 Malherbe, Letter to K. Campbell, 6th June 1948, p. 2.
869 The Mashu Museum of Ethnology was eventually launched over 30 years later, in 1981, to celebrate the centenary of Dr Killie Campbell’s birth.
870 Deed of gift, Margaret Roach Campbell, in favour of the University of Natal, 28th September 1949, unpublished, p. 3.
871 K. Campbell, Letter to S.I. Malan, 5th April 1962, unpublished.
872 D.R. Morris, The washing of the spears, London: Cape, 1966, 655 p.
873 D.R. Morris, Letter to S.I. Malan, 11th October 1965, unpublished.
In 1962, when I first met her, Killie was enormously agitated because she had just discovered what plans the municipality had for Muckleneuk. She had just started to give battle, and I have a letter from her dated 5 October 1964 saying it was settled, the council had agreed to lease...874
On her death, however, it was discovered that the property had not been leased to the University. “This creates a problem,” wrote Malan to Morris “but I think it will be overcome by a lease being signed by the N.U.D.F. and the Municipality of Durban.”875 Morris, by way of reply, wrote: “if the municipality will not give it up it should be bought back from them – I am counting on Ford [the Ford Foundation] for this!”876877 Morris, an outspoken man, felt strongly that the University should obtain the freehold for the property. He stated firmly that “There will always be a risk until Muckleneuk is yours outright and the municipal council is chancey.878 Killie had a low opinion of most of the members ...”879 Over a period of three years prior to Campbell’s death Morris had attempted to interest the Ford Foundation and others in a scheme for financial assistance which, he envisaged, would include “buying the site back from the city of Natal [sic]”880 for the University. The Principal had shown interest in the plan but it was never realised, possibly due to numerous legal hurdles and also to Malherbe’s retirement at the end of 1965. The University finally signed a fifty-year lease with the Durban Corporation for R1.00, “payable yearly in advance.”881
The University Library formally took over the administration of the Killie Campbell Africana Library on 1st December 1965,882 placing a trained librarian in charge.883 This
874 D.R. Morris, Letter to S.I. Malan, 27th October 1965, unpublished, p. 1. Morris does not elaborate on City council’s alleged “plans.”
875 S.I. Malan, Letter to D.R. Morris, 21st October 1965, unpublished. N.U.D.F. is an acronym for the Natal University Development Foundation.
876 Morris, Letter to Malan, 27th October 1965, unpublished, p. 1.
877 Interest in the collections had also been shown by Gwendolen M. Carter, Director of the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A. She wrote to Malan, requesting a copy of the library catalogue. – G.M. Carter, Letter to S.I. Malan, 14th January 1966.
878 As evidenced by the problems Killie had experienced with the City Council regarding the land promised to her in Warwick Avenue and the unspecified plans she had discovered which the Council had for Muckleneuk.
879 Morris, Letter to Malan, 27th October 1965, unpublished, p. 2.
880 D.R. Morris, Letter to S.I. Malan, 22nd May 1962, unpublished.
881 Deed of Lease [to the University of Natal], 20th September 1966, p. 4.
882 The name “Campbell Collections” was adopted when the University formally took over administration. – Natal History Research Resources Consultation Group, Aide memoire of the meeting held on 29th October 1986, unpublished, p. 1.
883 Malan, Letter to Morris, 21st October 1965, unpublished.
was Miss S. Speedy, who had been appointed prior to Campbell’s death884 but was retained at the Howard College Library until the end of October 1965 in deference to Campbell’s wishes. Campbell had written to Malherbe a few months before her death that she thought:
Miss Speedy sounds splendid for the library, but the congestion here – books and exhibits overflowing for lack of space – would make working here impossible for her. I am on the last lap of my long journey, so perhaps you might retain Miss Speedy in some other capacity until she can take over here.885
During the course of 1966 staff were kept extremely busy “with the arrangement of the collection in some order or another so that items could be readily found”886 Although Campbell had employed assistants to help her, none of them were trained librarians and neither was she. The methods she followed to organise her collection were idiosyncratic.
She had devised her own classification scheme which meant that “the success of her library rested on her knowledge of where the material was housed.”887 Her collection was arranged by section, each section being placed in a different room so that, for
example, material on “Bantu history” would be stored in the “Ironing Room.”888 The first task to be undertaken was the sorting of the books “according to a standard classification scheme, namely a simplified form of the Dewey Decimal classification scheme, and to note the classification number inside the books and on the main card of Campbell’s handwritten library cards.”889 However, it proved impossible to re-catalogue the entire collection as speedily as was desired, and the task was expected to take several years.
Sadly, the Campbell collections had a chequered subsequent history.