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House museum · Joanesburgo, Gauteng
Mandela House
Brick house on Vilakazi Street in Soweto where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962, converted into a museum with the family's objects and photos.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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About Mandela House
Mandela House is a small red-brick house built in 1945 in the Orlando West neighborhood of Soweto, following the model of the area's standardized houses. Nelson Mandela lived there from 1946 to 1962, first with his first wife, Evelyn, and later with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. After his release from prison in 1990, he spent a few days there again.
Mandela donated the house to a Soweto foundation in 1997 to turn it into a museum. The rooms display furniture, photographs, letters, awards and personal family items, and the outside walls still bear bullet marks and burn scars from attacks suffered during the years of struggle.
The house is on Vilakazi Street, known as the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived: Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose house is a few metres away. The street has restaurants and craft stalls.
The visit is guided and short, and pairs well with the Hector Pieterson memorial a few blocks away.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
About 45 minutes.
Best time
In the morning or early afternoon, together with the Hector Pieterson memorial. The street is busier on weekends.
How to get there
It is at 8115 Vilakazi Street, Orlando West, Soweto, about 20 km from central Johannesburg. Reachable by car, rideshare app or guided tour.
Tip
Combine the visit with lunch on Vilakazi Street and the Hector Pieterson memorial.
Official website
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Mandela House
When did Mandela live in Mandela House?
From 1946 to 1962.
Where is Mandela House?
On Vilakazi Street in Orlando West, Soweto.
Why is Vilakazi Street famous?
Because two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived on it: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.