History is alive at Con Hill

Constitution Hill has a ton of history and stories to tell.

The famous Con Hill in Braamfontein tells the story of the convicted prisoners who called the cells their homes – convicts which included the late South African President Nelson Mandela and struggle icon Mahatma Ghandi.

Visiting the historical site will give guests a valuable insight into the various sections of the prison, their uses, and the terrible acts of prejudice and cruelty that took place in each section.

One of these sections is the Awaiting Trial Block which operated as a jail for more than 100 years. The cells held all the black men and women who were awaiting trial and were prosecuted based on the colour of their skin and not on the basis of the law itself.

With no access to law in the society at the time, it became a place of inequality and terror for people of colour in apartheid South Africa.
In 2001, the building was demolished to make space for the construction of the Constitutional Court – a shining beacon of the possibility and hope enshrined in the new South African Constitution.

Now, in the space that holds many horrific memories stands the Constitutional Court which gives everyone in South Africa access to equal rights, the Visitor’s Centre where the public can book tours of the site, some newly-installed benches for visitors to use at their leisure and the four remaining stairwells from what was previously the Awaiting Trial Block.

The bricks from the demolished block were used to build the court and the centre – breathing new life into a once solemn and saddening place to visit.
Don’t miss out on the history at Con Hill.

Read: Joburg in pictures: What you can learn at Con Hill