From Prison to Promise – Exploring Constitution Hill
Quick Info
- How to get there: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus (Red Route) – stops right outside.
- Where: Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
- Duration: Allow approx. 2 hours.
- Cost: R120 per adult (discounts available).
- Safety: Secure and well-managed.
- Accessibility: Partial – some areas have stairs and uneven ground.
- Website: constitutionhill.org.za
What to Expect Inside
A Space of Memory and Promise
Constitution Hill is not just a former prison — it’s now home to South Africa’s Constitutional Court. The contrast between the past and the present is powerful. This is where people were once locked away for fighting injustice, and now their struggles have helped shape a just legal system.
The Introductory Video
We start our visit with a short film featuring former inmates. Their voices are calm and dignified — not bitter, but honest. It sets the tone: this is a space of truth-telling, but also of learning and moving forward.
Rooms 4 and 5 – Overcrowded Conditions
Rooms 4 and 5 are communal men’s cells. We walk into echoing rooms that once crammed in dozens and dozens of prisoners with barely any space to sleep. The graffiti on the walls, the artefacts, and the photographs paint a vivid picture of daily life under oppressive conditions.
Mandela in the Hospital Wing
Nelson Mandela is held here during the Treason Trial. They place him in the hospital wing — officially for his safety, but really to keep him isolated and under stricter control. It’s chilling how calculated that was. His cell is stark, yet knowing who stayed here adds weight to the space.
The Three Food Pots
Three metal pots for “White”, “Coloured”, and “Black” prisoners — show the racial hierarchy of meals. White prisoners ate relatively well. Black prisoners received watery porridge or slops. It’s a shocking, visual reminder of apartheid’s brutality.
Gandhi’s Early Lessons
We’re surprised to learn that Gandhi was also imprisoned here. In these walls, he developed his philosophy of Satyagraha — peaceful resistance. It’s incredible to think that a global movement was sparked by the injustice he experienced in this very space.
The Old Fort and Reclaimed Bricks
The Old Fort was built by President Paul Kruger in the 1890s as a military stronghold. It later became a prison used by both the British and apartheid regimes.
Today, the bricks from demolished prison buildings are reused in the walkways, symbolically paving the path to justice. We stand where prisoners once stood.
The Cannon and the View
A cannon still stands at the top of the hill, aimed over Johannesburg. Once used for defence, it now seems more like a monument — a leftover of another era, surrounded by school pupils and visitors reflecting on what South Africa has survived and achieved.
Café Break: A Sweet Pause
We end our visit with coffee and a pastry at the on-site café. The Ethiopian chocolate coffee is delicious, and the pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart) is flaky, warm and perfect. It’s a lovely surprise to find something so good on-site. It gives us a moment to pause, reflect — and recharge.
A Place of Learning and Future Hope
What lifts our spirits most is the presence of school groups. Dozens of high school students walk through the exhibits, asking questions, writing notes. This isn’t just a museum of pain — it’s a living classroom where the next generation learns not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Final Thoughts
We leave Constitution Hill thoughtful, not heavy.
The site is honest about injustice but focused on progress. It shows that even from dark histories, justice can rise. Constitution Hill doesn’t just remember — it teaches, it transforms, and it offers hope.