It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Prof OJO (Cobus) Ferreira, a Professor in the then Department of History and Cultural History and founder of the University of Pretoria Archives.

He was appointed at the University in 1980, first as part of the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch Cultural History and then moved to the Department of History and Cultural History in 1988 when the two departments merged. Prof Ferreira was a leading figure in the domain of Cultural History. He published widely but can most notably,  be regarded as the present international expert on the history of the Portuguese in southern Africa with works like: Montanha in Zoutpansberg; Ilha de Moçambique byna Hollands and Da Costa Leal in die Zuid-Afrikaanse Republiek. He received prestige awards from many organisations including the South African Academy of Science and Art and the South African Cultural History Organisation for his contribution to the South African cultural landscape.

In 1995 Prof Ferreira was appointed as the first University Archivist. He successfully laid the foundations to preserve the University’s past and formulated an archival policy, finding aid and filing system. Prof Ferreira resigned on 30 June 1998.

Prof Ferreira’s solid commitment to the foundation of the Archives for the University of Pretoria left an indelible mark for posterity and remains integral to its memory bank. This is but one of the many accolades attributable to this dedicated historian of note.

Prof Caroline Nicholson

REGISTRAR