Gauteng heritage explored in 10 ways

TThe Apartheid Museum in downtown Johannesburg

The Apartheid Museum focuses on the system of racial discrimination that became synonymous with South Africa from 1948-1994. The Apartheid Museum, close to downtown Johannesburg, even greets visitors with a very real reflection of what it was like to live in a racially segregated society.

Cradle of Humankind – Muldersdrift

This is a must-visit when you have some time over a weekend, and it’s great for kids too. The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site includes Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves and encompasses 200 caves holding some of the world’s most valuable fossils, many dating back three million years.

Township Tours – Soweto 

For a heritage tour like no other, this tour shows visitors the important historical sites in the area, as well as different lifestyles, cultures and fashion. Soweto is rich with history and the tours create positive awareness of Soweto with both locals and visitors from across the globe. Experience this modern township, interact with the local people, hear their untold stories, listen to their music and share in the traditional food. It's sure to be an experience you'll never forget. 

The Hector Pieterson Museum – Soweto

The Hector Pieterson Museum is a heritage site intrinsically linked to the origins of the Soweto Uprisings and its aftermath. On 16 June 1976, thousands of students had gathered in Orlando West around Vilakazi Street, the precinct where the Hector Pieterson Museum is located to begin a protest march against the imposition of the Afrikaans language as the medium of instruction in Soweto’s schools. Police opened fire, killing Hastings Ndlovu and Hector Pieterson. After 16 and 17 June 1976, nothing in South Africa would be the same again. An old era was passed. A new one was beginning.

HHouses of heroes – Soweto

The precinct also includes Nelson Mandela’s Orlando West house, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s house and the Sisulu’s, all of which are a few metres away from the museum. Mandela House in Vilakazi Street, Soweto, was Nelson Mandela’s house from 1946 until he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964. The house preserves the history and legacy of the Mandela Family. Vilakazi Street is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize laureates have lived.

Lesedi Cultural Village – Broederstroom 

Experience the unique and vibrant African cultures first-hand at Lesedi Cultural Village, which is within the Cradle of Humankind. Here you'll be able to discover the fascinating cultures and traditions of some of the people of Africa by visiting five traditional homesteads inhabited by Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho and Ndebele tribes, living according to tribal folklore and traditions of their ancestors. 

Union Buildings – Pretoria 

Home to a 9 metre high bronze statue of Nelson Mandela, it is the tallest sculpture of our former president in existence. The sculpture positions Madiba with his arms out, symbolising his embrace of the whole nation and with one foot forward indicating a nation on the move. This is also where our democracy began. The buildings housed Madiba's offices from 1994 to 1999, as well as his body (laying in state) after his passing.