Joburg Tourism has kicked off a winter campaign to commemorate Nelson Mandela’s legacy with a heritage tour that traces the former statesman’s footsteps in Johannesburg.

In Mandela’s Footsteps – a whirlwind tour curated to follow the late icon’s footsteps – forms part of the ‘Welcome to Joburg – A City Reimagined’ campaign. Among the abundance of heritage sites Joburg boasts, most relate to the country’s struggle history, particularly to Nelson Mandela, and the pivotal role he played in the country’s road to democracy. Joburg Tourism has curated these touch points into an itinerary which promises to enthral visitors and residents alike.

Born on 18 July 1918 in Mvezo in the Eastern Cape, Mandela’s influence on Joburg has changed many lives – from 1941 when he first arrived here as a young man to 2013 when he passed away in Houghton – having achieved milestone awards and received global recognition.

On the historical trail tracing Madiba’s footsteps is Nelson Mandela Yard in Alexandra, northern Joburg. It is a single backroom where the icon lived when he moved to Joburg from rural Transkei in 1941. It’s in a grid house built in a communal urban formation. These were once common across the country and homed 10 families per yard. The house was owned by John Madzeka Xhoma from Cradock in the Eastern Cape, who ran a transport business and owned two other properties. He and his wife Harriet and their children shared the house, while Mandela rented a room in their backyard. Xhoma and his wife, Harriet died in 1952 and 1971, respectively.

The Alex Heritage Centre is the next attraction that forms part of Mandela’s footsteps. The heritage centre also houses the Alexandra museum, which preserves and promotes the township’s history and heritage. The museum, which is situated a few metres away from the women’s hostel is a noticeable and appealing feature in Alexandra. An exhibition of photographs that tell the history and culture of the township colloquially known as Gomora, is currently running. Among the pictures on exhibition are those of the Alexandra massacre in 1986.

Following it is Constitution Hill in Braamfontein, a living museum that tells the story of South Africa’s journey to democracy. The site is a former prison and military fort that bears testament to South Africa’s turbulent past and, today, is home to the country’s Constitutional Court, which endorses the rights of all citizens. There is perhaps no other site of incarceration in South Africa that imprisoned the sheer number of world-renowned men and women as those held within the walls of Constitution Hill’s Old Fort, the Women’s Jail and Number Four.

Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Joe Slovo, Albertina Sisulu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Fatima Meer are but a few of the renowned political figures previously incarcerated here. However, the precinct also confined tens of thousands of ordinary people during its 100-year history as a prison. They were men and women of all races, creeds, ages, and political agendas; children too, the everyman and the elite. In this way, the history of every South African life is captured here.

Chancellor House stands opposite the imposing Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court. It is on the trail of Mandela’s Footsteps in Marshalltown that visitors need to check out. In the 1950s, Mandela and Tambo Attorneys operated out of the humble three-storey Chancellor House near the court. Recently restored and refurbished, the once derelict office at the intersection of Fox and Gerard Sekoto streets in the Johannesburg CBD conveys the spirit of Mandela, Oliver Tambo and the Freedom Struggle.

From these chambers, Mandela and Tambo challenged apartheid laws, both professionally and politically, backed in later years by a team that included outstanding black lawyers such as Duma Nokwe and Godfrey Pitje. They spoke on behalf of the majority of South African citizens who, at the time, were experiencing various forms of discrimination, oppression, and repression.

The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. The first of its kind, it illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. The museum is a beacon of hope, showing the world how South Africans are coming to terms with their oppressive past and working towards a future they can all call their own.

The most famous street in South Africa and probably the only one in the world which has been home to two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu. This is where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962. Mandela House strives to be a world-class visitor attraction and a leading centre for the preservation, presentation, and research of its historical heritage and the Mandela Family legacy.

The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory was officially opened on 18 November 2013 and serves as the home of the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, northern Joburg. The centre focuses on the life and times of Mandela and his lifelong dedication to social justice, with a permanent exhibition outlining his life and the context of his struggle for freedom, complemented by many personal artefacts such as his letters from prison, personal photographs and his Nobel Peace Prize. Visitors can also walk around the office where Mandela worked from 2002 to 2010.

Liliesleaf is one of South Africa’s foremost national heritage sites. Between 1961 and 1963, Liliesleaf served as the secret headquarters and nerve centre of the ANC, SACP, and Umkhonto we Sizwe as well as the Congress Alliance. On 11 July 1963, the police, acting on a tip-off, raided Liliesleaf and arrested the core leadership of the underground liberation movement. Following the raid, 10 people were put on trial to face charges of 193 counts of sabotage against the state. Nelson Mandela, who was already serving a prison sentence at the time of the raid, became Accused Number 1. With him in the dock were Walter Sisulu, Denis Goldberg, Ahmed Kathrada, Lionel ‘Rusty’ Bernstein, Raymond Mhlaba, James Kantor, Elias Motsoaledi, and Andrew Mlangeni.

Located in the heart of the iconic Sandton CBD, Nelson Mandela Square is an open-air piazza anchored by a majestic six-metre statue of the icon himself. This makes for a popular attraction for both local and international visitors. Nelson Mandela Square continues to be one of Africa’s most exclusive dining and lifestyle destinations. In addition to the array of dining options catering to different cultures and cuisines, the square also has 70 exclusive and celebrated retail stores on offer to delight shoppers, infusing local heritage with international flavour to celebrate an Afro-cosmopolitan style.

Written by Gontse ‘GeE’ Hlophe
20/07/2021