Staff
Principal Museum Scientist
and Head of Department
Hannes J. Haasbroek PhD history [at] nasmus [dot] co [dot] za
Hannes Haasbroek, born in Bothaville, Free State, completed his schooling in Bethelehem. He obtained the degrees BA, BA Hons, MA (History), D Phil (History) and HED from the University of the Orange Free State. In 1979 he was appointed Head of the History Department at the Museum. Since 1984 he has served on the Editorial Committee of Culna, the Museum's popular magazine, and in 1992 he became Editor of the Museum’s accredited scientific journal Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum. He has published many historical articles in scientific journals, magazines and newspapers. In 2002 his discovery of the actual founding place of the African National Congress (ANC) in Bloemfontein made headlines. His book on the life of the well-known dramatic soprano Cecilia Wessels, Stem en legende, was published in 2005.
Principal Museum Scientist
Marianna Botes MA mbotes [at] nasmus [dot] co [dot] za
Marianna Botes was born in Pretoria and completed her school career at the Oranje High School for Girls in Bloemfontein. She obtained the degrees BA (1980), BA Hons. (1982) and MA (Cultural History) (1993), as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Museology (1981) at the University of Pretoria. She is currently doing research for her PhD in History at the University of the Free State. She started her career at the Free State Museum Services in 1982 and since 1987, has been a Researcher and Cultural Historian in the Department of History at the Museum. She concentrates on research on the architectural and cultural heritage of Bloemfontein and the Free State and is also involved in the conservation of building structures and heritage sites in Bloemfontein and the Free State.
Senior Museum Scientist
Derek du Bruyn MA derek [at] nasmus [dot] co [dot] za
Derek du Bruyn hails from Brandfort in the Free State. After matriculating in 1986, he studied at the University of the Free State and obtained a BA degree majoring in History (1990), a BA Hons degree in History (1991) and in 1995 an MA degree in History (cum laude). In 1997 he obtained a National Higher Diploma in Archival Science from the then Technikon South Africa (now amalgamated with the University of South Africa (UNISA)).
He was employed for 13 years (1993-2007) as an Archivist at the Free State Provincial Archives in Bloemfontein. He specialised in records management and later managed the Bloemfontein Records Centre. Derek also became involved in oral history and spearheaded the Archives’ oral history projects, including The Military and Stalwart Veterans Oral History Project. He also launched the Free State Oral History Association and served as Chairperson until 2007.
In 2007 Derek was appointed as Historian at the Museum, specialising in oral history and community history. He launched the Batho Community History Project and is currently the project leader.
Oral History Assistant
Patrick Letsatsi patrick [dot] letsatsi [at] nasmus [dot] co [dot] za
Patrick Letsatsi hails from Bethlehem in the eastern Free State. After matriculating in 2002, he studied at the University of the Free State and obtained a BA degree majoring in History and a BA Hons degree in History, both in 2009.
He worked as a Student Assistant in the History Department at the University of the Free State from 2006 until 2008. Patrick also assisted Derek du Bruyn, Historian at the Museum, with transcriptions for the Batho Community History Project. By the end of 2008, he assisted Mr CM Twala, history lecturer at the University of the Free State, with transcriptions on the Winkie Direko research project. The following year he worked at the Sasol Library, University of the Free State. During the same year, he was selected to be one of the adjudicators for the 2009 Nkosi Albert Luthuli Young Historians Awards.
In 2010 Patrick started working as an Oral History Assistant in the History Department at the Museum.