The Old Fort on Constitution Hill

After the women's jail, we went to visit the Old Fort.

The original prison on Constitution Hill was built to house white male prisoners in 1892. The Old Fort was built around this prison by Paul Kruger from 1896 to 1899 to protect the South African Republic from the threat of British invasion. Later, when the British won the Anglo-Boer war, Boer military leaders were imprisoned here by the British.

Under the apartheid government, only whites were held in the Old Fort prison buildings, except for Nelson Mandela. He was kept there after the government received a tip-off regarding an escape attempt. Mandela was given a bed in the hospital section as an awaiting-trial prisoner in 1962 prior to the Rivonia Trial.

It was fascinating to explore the fort and to see another place associated with Nelson Mandela.Read more