National Library of South Africa

South Africa’s oldest library began with an unusual source of funding: a tax on wine.

In 1818, Lord Charles Somerset, Governor of the Cape Colony, introduced a tax on wine brought into Cape Town for sale. The proceeds were used to establish a public library, with the aim of making books and education more accessible. The South African Public Library was officially established on 20 March 1818.

An important early addition to the collection came from Joachim Nikolaus von Dessin, a German-born official of the Dutch East India Company who died in Cape Town in 1761. He left his collection of books to the Dutch Reformed Church for public benefit. In 1820, the collection was transferred to the new library and became one of its most valuable early resources.

The library continued to grow, receiving further significant donations, including Sir George Grey’s collection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and rare books in 1861.

In 1873, the library became the legal deposit institution for the Cape Colony. Publishers were required to submit copies of books, newspapers, journals and other documents to ensure that published material was preserved. Following the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, its collecting responsibilities expanded. In 1916, it began receiving every printed item published in the country, a role that continues today.

For much of its history, the institution was known as the South African Library. A second national library, the State Library, was established in Pretoria in 1887. The two institutions operated separately until 1 November 1999, when they merged to form the National Library of South Africa (NLSA).

The Cape Town branch is situated in the Company’s Garden. Its collections include rare manuscripts, South African publications, periodicals, government documents, maps, technical reports, Africana, newspapers and photographs. Many items are available digitally, while others can be requested in the Reading Room. Staff may provide cotton gloves and a cradle when visitors handle particularly old or fragile material.

The library also manages the Centre for the Book, which promotes writing, publishing, reading and book distribution in all official languages.

An unusual feature of the building is a well in the basement that receives water from Table Mountain. This creates a potential risk to the collections, so water is pumped out continuously, 24 hours a day.

The NLSA is free to enter and use for research. Visitors only pay for photocopies.

Although the Cape Town institution is the oldest library institution in South Africa, it is no longer an ordinary public lending library. Graaff-Reinet’s public library, established in the 19th century, is recognised as the country’s oldest continuing public library, with Genadendal’s library also among the oldest.

What began with a wine tax in 1818 has become a national institution dedicated to collecting and preserving South Africa’s written and documentary history.

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