It is fair to say that no single person has had as powerful and lasting an impact on modern-day South Africa as Nelson Mandela.
His memory lives on in people’s minds and is immortalized in statues, museums, exhibitions and memorials across the country.
As a visitor to South Africa, if you hope to gain insight into the country’s psyche, its people, and its past, you’ll want at least some of the country’s insights from one of the world’s greatest leaders. One cannot go without visiting the evocative monuments. In honor of Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18, 2022, here are 10 top places to follow his legacy across South Africa.
Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg
To understand South Africa’s complex society and Mandela’s importance to it, you have to look to the past. Apartheid, the apartheid system that ruled the country from 1948 to 1994, intruded into every aspect of daily life: education, employment, freedom of movement, the train you took, the hospital you went to – here Up to which beach you chose to swim. These policies shaped Mandela’s entire life, and you can’t get a better grasp of these ruthless principles than at the Aptide Museum, south of Johannesburg. It’s an emotional visit, but the interactive exhibits and wealth of information make the museum a must. Allow at least two hours if you hope to take it all in.
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Constitution Hill, Johannesburg
These days, Constitution Hill in Johannesburg is a quiet museum and home to South Africa’s Constitutional Court, but it began life as a prison in 1893. Mandela was imprisoned here twice – the first time at the infamous treason trial in 1956, when all 156 defendants were eventually imprisoned. Acquitted, and again in 1962 after arrest in KwaZulu-Natal. He was considered too influential to live with other black male prisoners in the prison’s infamous number four section and became the only non-white prisoner held in the old fort. Walking on Number Four, reading about the appalling conditions at the time and the disparity in the treatment of prisoners of different races, quickly hammers home the need for political reform and the equality that Mandela was fighting for.
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Robben Island
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life in prison and spent most of his sentence on a five square kilometer island off the coast of Cape Town. Tours of Robben Island start at the V&A Waterfront, where a ferry takes you to the former prison. It’s a highly organized day, taking you from the ferry to a bus tour and finally a walking transfer to the prison.
Try to step back from your group and spend a little time contemplating the unimaginable poke cell where Nelson Mandela spent 18 unimaginably difficult years and yet emerged with a heart filled with forgiveness rather than hatred.
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Nelson Mandela Museum, Matha
The Eastern Cape is rightly proud of its most famous son, and tributes have been paid to Mandela in the otherwise unpopular town of Mthatha. The magnificent Bhunga building houses the Nelson Mandela Museum, where you can dig a little deeper into the essence of the man everyone calls Madiba (his clan name). Imagine interacting with extended family and gaining a deeper insight into Mandela’s life, and you get the idea of this humble but fascinating museum. The show features handwritten notes from the former president and some rarely seen photographs. The letters and gifts sent to Mandela show that he was loved not only locally but around the world.
I visited Robben Island Prison with a former guard and close friend of Nelson Mandela.
Capture site
For years, the only thing marking this historically significant spot in Hawick was an unusual roadside plaque. It was here in 1962 that, after 17 months on the run from apartheid authorities, Nelson Mandela was arrested. The revamped capture site is a far more fitting memorial to an event that would go on to shape the future of the entire country in many ways. As you approach the statue, 50 metal bars align to create a stunning portrait of Mandela. Other exhibits are still on, but there is a great cafe where you can sit and reflect on history with a great cup of joe.
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Lily Leaf Farm, Johannesburg
When Nelson Mandela lived at Liliesleaf Farm, he went by the name David Motsamai and, at least to one passer-by, was employed to look after the grounds. It was actually the underground headquarters of the ANC, where Mandela hid for a year. When authorities raided the grounds in 1963, making numerous arrests, Mandela was already in custody but was tried along with his accomplices and sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to overthrow the state. The entire story is now told in great detail through interactive, audio-visual exhibits. Its 25 kilometers north of Johannesburg city center keeps Lily Leaf flying under the radar, meaning you’ll have more space here than at many Mandela-related sites. Allow a few hours to fully explore one of South Africa’s best museums.
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Mandela House, Soweto
Mandela moved into this humble home in Soweto in 1946. “It was the opposite of great,” he wrote in his autobiography. Long walk to freedom, “But it was my first real home and I was immensely proud.” He lived here with his first wife, Evelyn, and later with his second wife, Winnie, and their children, returning briefly after his release from prison in 1990. Soon after, the house was turned into a museum, as preserved during Mandela’s stay.
If you want to contemplate Mandela’s life in Soweto, you’d better get there early. Wilkazi Street can get very busy and once the tour groups arrive you will be sharing your visit to Mandela House with many others keen to get a few pictures of the famous family home.
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Kuno, Eastern Cape Province
For a die-hard Mandela disciple, a trip to rural Kuno is the ultimate pilgrimage. It’s not just where he grew up, attended school and was given the Christian name by which the world knows him – this roadside village is also Mandela’s final resting place. The Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Center has simple exhibits, but you really need a local guide to fully appreciate the sights in the small village, including the remains of Mandela’s school, the church where he was baptized and more. Other sites you will visit. If you’ve read it, recognize it. Long walk to freedom. Here you will find a special reverence for the man whom the villagers simply call Tata – Father.
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Chancellor House and Shadow Boxer, Johannesburg
If you’re exploring the streets of central Johannesburg – and you really should, as its regeneration is nothing short of remarkable – take a detour to Fox Street. Chancellor House itself is not much to see, but a significant part of Mandela’s life took place within these walls. It was here that he shared a law practice with fellow struggle icon Oliver Tambo. Information panels line the ground floor windows, so you can read about their fight against the apartheid regime at your leisure. In front of him is a six-metre shadow boxer, a statue commemorating one of Madiba’s favorite pastimes. Even more impressive is the 40m high mural based on the same image of the boxing Mandela – you’ll find it painted on a wall in Johannesburg’s Maboneng district.
City Hall and Grand Parade, Cape Town
There is currently nothing marking the spot where Mandela gave his first speech as a free man in 1990. Crowds gathered in Cape Town’s Grand Parade to cheer on the newly released icon of struggle. “Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today,” he said from the balcony of City Hall. “Therefore I place the remaining years of my life in your hands.” Realizing the significance of the site, the City of Cape Town is in the midst of plans to erect a life-size statue of Mandela on the very balcony where he gave his speech.
This article was first published on August 22, 2017 and was updated on July 14, 2022.