A symbol of liberation, the Mandela House in Johannesburg lets you delve into the inspirational stories of the struggles fought during apartheid for liberation. A heritage belonging not only to the Mandela family, but to each individual of Soweto and to the whole nation of South Africa who refused to succumb and rose against all adversities.

History of the Mandela House

Back during 1930-1970, Soweto was that area of the city where the black South Africans were isolated to, as a part of the institutionalised segregation by the whites, known infamously as the apartheid. Soweto is also the cradle of the 1976 uprising and the consequent riots that finally got rid of apartheid-era oppression, and elected Mandela as the president of the first multiracial election.

Among the many red-brick matchbox style houses situated here, one belonged to Nelson Mandela as well. The legendary South African leader lived a humble life here from 1946 to 1962, and came back here after his time in the prison. In his memoir The Long Walk to Freedom, he described the Mandela House of Soweto, where his wife Winnie still lived while he was behind bars, as ‘the place marked with an X in my mental geography’.

Significance of the Mandela House

Nelson Mandela went on to make history and mark himself in golden letters among the greatest leaders the world has seen. But the house at Soweto, along with the Mandela House in Qunu village where he grew up as a child, is where his roots always were. The house stands today as a poignant reminder of the racial discrimination the blacks of the country faced, and how they fought through it and arrived victorious following the lead of the great Nelson Mandela.

Outside the house, there still exist the bullet holes on the walls and scorch marks from Molotov Cocktails – a type of petrol bombs, directed at the house when he was in prison. Inside you will find four interconnected rooms, one of which was his humble bedroom, now kept intact for the visitors. There are original pairs of boots worn by the man, and pictures of his early life, apartheid years and as the president, the various honours and awards he received over the years, and the World Championship Boxing belt donated to the museum by Sugar Ray Leonard.