‘That night I returned with Winnie to No. 8115 in Orlando West. It was only then that I knew in my heart I had left prison. For me No. 8115 was the centre point of my world, the place marked with an X in my mental geography.’
Nelson Mandela moved to Orlando West in 1946 when he married his first wife, Evelyn Ntoko Mase. They divorced eleven years later. In 1958 his second wife, Winnie Madikizela moved in, but he only lived here for three more years before he was arrested in 1961.
Built as part of a government tender in Johannesburg in 1945, the Mandela family’s house had a tin roof, cement floor, narrow kitchen and a bucket toilet in the backyard. The bedroom was so small that a double bed took up almost the entire floor space.
After his release in 1990 he returned to the house for 11 days before moving to a house in Houghton. While there he met with local residents as well as family and addressed a frenzy of international media. Today this house is a public heritage site, managed by the Soweto Heritage Trust.
“We do not want freedom without bread, nor do we want bread without freedom.” ~ Nelson Mandela
An emotional Brenda Fassie, South African pop diva, embraces Mandela....
Madiba laughs as his shoe comes off while kicking a soccer ball....
In 1991, Nelson Mandela received an Honorary Doctorate at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg for his commitment to the country ...
Mandela and other activists had an array of supporters that came to the court each time defendants were summoned. Pictured is a young Madiba...