Apartheid Museum: A Tour of its Permanent Exhibition

The Apartheid Museum’s permanent exhibition is a trip through time that traces South Africa’s footsteps from the dark days of apartheid to a place of healing founded on the principles of democracy.

On this walking tour through the museum, you’ll experience a century of South African history starting with the discovery of the largest gold reef in the world in 1886, right underneath your feet. You’ll wind your way through various displays, seeing the rise and fall of apartheid unfold in front of your eyes. You’ll wrap up by learning about the country’s transition to democracy in 1994 and post-apartheid healing. This is an emotional, at times harrowing journey, showing the devastating effects of racism and discrimination on South African society. You’ll also hear about the challenges we continue to face as a democracy today.

On this tour, you’ll:

• Discover the pillars of the South African Constitution
• Enter the permanent exhibition and get a feeling for what Racial Classification was like
• Hear about important events in the country’s history including the 1952’s Defiance Campaign, 1956’s Women's March, Sharpeville Massacre, and the Rivonia Trial
• Relive the terrors of the Soweto Uprising in 1976, the deaths in detention, political executions and assassinations, including Dulcie September
• Find out about the Union of South Africa in 1910, early segregation, and the introduction of apartheid in 1948
• Get to know the architect of apartheid, Hendrik Verwoerd, and notable activists including Helen Suzman, Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela
• Become familiar with uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed struggle, and Black Consciousness
• See some of Ernest Cole’s photographs that depict life under apartheid
• Dive into the reform, repression, mass resistance and international solidarity and sanctions that characterised the 1980s and led to inevitable end of apartheid
• Celebrate the first democratic elections on 27 April 1994, Mandela’s presidency and the adoption of the new Constitution
• Familiarise yourself with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and whether it was a success in unifying the newly democratic country

By the end of this 90-minute tour of the Apartheid Museum, you’ll have a greater understanding of the rise and fall of apartheid in 20th century South Africa.