The material was gathered together by Prof Don Foster in the mid-1980s for the purposes of academic research into the effect of the conditions of detention, including torture, on the psyche of political detainees. It comprises some primary original records of the Detainees’ Parents Support Committee (Western Cape), such as minutes, reports, correspondence, lists of detainees and questionnaires; and material published or distributed by related bodies such as the Detention Action Committee and the Durban Detainee’s Support Committee, such as newsletters, flyers and pamphlets. There are also compilations or original clippings of newspaper articles on the subject of banning and detention, and copies of other secondary material on the subject.