Freedom struggle

Visitors to the Nelson Mandela Museum, Mthatha.

Mandela Country

Travelling from the Eastern Cape town of Mthatha down to the village of Qunu is part of the Nelson Mandela Freedom Trail – an unforgettable trip.

The Red Location Museum

The Red Location Museum of Struggle provides fascinating insight into a lesser-known chapter of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.

KwaZulu-Natal Freedom Route

The struggle to conquer racial oppression, which cut across gender, class and culture, is at the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal Freedom Route, as are the vibrant cultures that overcame it.

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History of Gauteng

Gauteng has deep historical roots, from its early days as a gold rush region to its current, more glamorous status as the country’s commercial powerhouse.

Helen Suzman

Helen Suzman represented a strong opposition to apartheid within Parliament for over three decades. A politican against white privilege, Suzman made an invaluable contribution to democratic South Africa.

Liliesleaf Farm

Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia was the site of much of the ANC’s planning and where its top leadership were arrested in 1963.

The Apartheid Museum

The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg shows people of colour lived - and survived - during the darkest days of Apartheid in South Africa.

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War Memorial at Spioenkop battlefield outside Ladysmith

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Top 10

Struggle sites

Robben Island, Cape Town

The apartheid states’ most notorious political prison, now a World Heritage Site and one of South Africa’s most-visited attractions.
The Nelson Mandela Museum, Mthatha, Eastern Cape

This museum comprises 3 sites dedicated to different eras in the life of this great man: the Bhunga Building in Mthatha, and the satellite open-air museum at Mvezo, and Qunu, his birthplace.
The Hector Peterson Memorial and Museum, Orlando West, Soweto

Pays tribute to the 1976 Soweto uprisings that changed the face of our modern political history. Named in honour of one the first child victims of the unrest, Hector Peterson.
The Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, Johannesburg

Takes visitors on an emotive journey that charts the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa.
Liliesleaf Trust, Rivonia, Johannesburg

The ex-headquarters of the ANC’s military–wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, and site of the police raid that lead to the infamous Rivonia Trial.
Constitution Hill, Braamfontein, Johannesburg

The Old Fort Complex in Johannesburg was once home to the notorious Number Four Prison and the Women’s Gaol – a place of brutality and misery.
Sharpeville Human Rights Precinct, Vaal Triangle, Gauteng

Pays tribute those who died in the Sharpeville massacre – a significant event in our struggle history.
Mandela House Museum, Soweto

This newly refurbished museum can be found on Vilakazi Street, Soweto. Gaze into the life of Nelson and Mandela and his family before he was sent to prison.
District Six Museum, Cape Town

Commemorates the culture and colourful communities of District Six before forced removals. The place was a hub of political activity and multi-racial harmony.
Red Location Museum, New Brighton, Port Elizabeth

Named for the rusted metal sheets with which the residents of Port Elizabeth’s oldest township built their shacks, this settlement was a hotbed of political activists and anti-apartheid...