Nelson Mandela's house in South Africa

When talking about South Africa, it is impossible not to think of its past and of the prominent figures who contributed positively to its historical and cultural journey. Among them, one name stands out above all for South Africa: Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African politician and activist, and President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. An opponent of apartheid and winner of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, Mandela was the first non-white South African president to hold this office. A civil rights activist and lawyer, he served 27 years in prison for his fight against racial segregation.
 

Soweto, Mandela’s home

Soweto, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, is the largest township in South Africa. It is closely linked to the figure of Nelson Mandela, whose birth anniversary was commemorated in 2018. The house where Mandela lived in Soweto (an acronym for South Western Townships), at 8115 Ngakane Street in the Orlando district, is now home to the Mandela Family Museum, dedicated to the life of Madiba, the nickname by which he is known in South Africa.

In the suburb of Orlando, the most densely populated area not only of Soweto but of all South Africa, on July 23, 2004, during an official ceremony, the city of Johannesburg presented Mandela with the keys to the city and the honorary title “Freedom of the City.” Orlando is deeply tied to the events of the struggle against apartheid, of which Mandela is a symbol. In particular, Orlando West was the scene of some of the most violent clashes between police and demonstrators during the 1976 student protests, including the one in which Hector Pieterson lost his life. A museum dedicated to him, located very close to Mandela’s museum, is well worth a visit. 

The four-room house preserves several items connected to Mandela’s life, including awards and honors presented to him by universities and institutions from around the world. Among these objects is also a boxing belt given to him by Sugar Ray Leonard, considered one of the greatest boxers in the world. 
Mandela moved to Ngakane Street in 1946 with his first wife, Evelyn Ntoko Mase. His second wife, Winnie, moved there in 1958 and remained in the house with their daughters even during her husband’s imprisonment. When Mandela was released from prison, he expressed the wish to return to live in the Orlando house, but for security reasons he was unable to stay there for long.

The museum is open every day and is close to other important places in Soweto’s history during the anti-apartheid struggle, such as the house of Desmond Tutu, the first Black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He was the one who coined the expression Rainbow Nation, referring to South Africa. 

Ngakane Street is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize laureates have lived.

Nelson Mandela’s House is well worth a visit during a trip to South Africa. For this reason, we never miss it on our South Africa tour.