120 Years in 120 Objects
Join the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in celebrating the museumโs 120th year of orbiting the sun. Staff and guest curators have chosen one object or item per year of our existence to highlight to the public. Visit the website and our social media platforms regularly to see the latest object and keep an eye out for information about a physical exhibition later this year!
Todayโs Object is from 1994
The Ballot Box by Phumulani Madonda, Collections Officer
In 2024, South Africa celebrates 30 years of democracy. Museums have played an important role in the construction of a civic society in these three post-Apartheid decades. Part of the role of museums is to preserve objects that are significant in the nationโs history. The KwaZulu-Natal Museum houses a number of important items from the liberation struggle as well as from earlier acts of resistance to colonialism, such as the Bambatha Rebellion (1906) and the Zulu Kingdomโs resistance to British Imperialism (1879). One particularly poignant object is that of a ballot box from the first free elections held in the country. These boxes were provided by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)โthe organization that oversees elections in South Africa. This box is part of the Museumโs Amandla collection and was accessioned by historians at the museum shortly after the 1994 elections.
A standard ballot box from 1994 as used in the countryโs first free and democratic elections.
Notice the wax seal. Once a ballot box was full, it would be sealed and then transported to a nearby counting centre.
