Mandela House Museum

THINGS TO DO, JOHANNESBURG Updated : Jun 16, 2017, 11.51 AM IST

Sumedha Bharpilania

Sumedha has travelled across 28 countries, including a major chunk of India, and calls Japan, Thailand, France and Switzerland her pet destinations. She is seasoned in going off the beaten track and loves documenting her journeys. Apart from getting lost in metropolises, being stranded at airports and finding solace in the hills, she actively writes for eminent travel platforms. You can follow her trips on her social media handles.

Photo courtesy: Mandela House Museum

Located in the township of Soweto, Mandela House is the former residence of the deceased South African President Nelson Mandela and has been operating as a museum since 2009. Madiba lived in this house ‘8115’ on Vilakazi Street from 1946 to 1961 and was arrested in 1962 for standing up against the system of Apartheid. A few years after his release, he donated the house to the Soweto Heritage Trust so that it could be transformed into a museum. What has been deemed an important South African Heritage Site; the Mandela House Museum is now a mirror reflecting the life and times of the Mandela family.

The restored red-brick building has four rooms that are home to the many awards conferred on Madiba along with family photographs and several works of art. Since the South Africans have this deep reverence for Nelson Mandela, this place is one of the most important sights in Johannesburg. Guided tours are available and they are a little over 20 min long. Do keep in mind that only 20 people can look around the museum at a time and you might just have to wait for a short while.
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