The database primarily contains records of slave transactions, showing sale prices in Sterling. The worth of slaves depended on various factors, including age, gender, physical condition, and occupation. On some of the returns slave names have deliberately been ommitted by the record keeper or slave owner. The British abolished slavery at the Cape on December 1, 1834 but slaves had to complete a four-year "apprenticeship." The official end of slavery occurred on December 1, 1838, when all forms of forced labor were eliminated.

Slave records - South African National Archives

Archive copying by Lara Seaward