Constitution Hill Heritage in Johannesburg – GayOut Guide
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Constitution Hill

Google (6827) 4.5
Tripadvisor (4) 5.0
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G4.5 🦉5.0
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Address
11 Kotze Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
🌐
Website
www.constitutionhill.org.za

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About this place Constitution Hill

Constitution Hill is where South Africa keeps its conscience. The Old Fort prison complex — which held Gandhi, Mandela, and generations of the apartheid state's victims — was transformed in 2004 into the seat of the Constitutional Court, built literally from the prison's bricks. Its place in queer history is singular: Section 9(3) of the 1996 Constitution made South Africa the first country in the world to constitutionally prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. From that clause flowed the court rulings that decriminalised, equalised, and in 2006 delivered marriage equality — the first in Africa, years before most of Europe. The court that did it sits here, its hearings open to anyone. Visiting: the precinct runs daily exhibitions and guided tours (roughly 9am-5pm; one-hour highlights and two-hour full tours at 10am and 1pm) through the Old Fort, Number Four and the Women's Jail, ending at the court itself. Pair it with the GALA Queer Archive at nearby Wits to complete Johannesburg's queer-history core.

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4.5
★★★★★
6,827 reviews

Based on 6,827 Google reviews.

Millicent Magagula
Millicent Magagula Aug 2026
★★★★★

Easily accessible in Johannesburg CBD. Visit this place to get information about South African revolution and constitution. It's a place that can be visited by families, for school excursions and friends who love to hangout together.

Anele Mabuza
Anele Mabuza Aug 2026
★★★★★
Chane Conradie
Chane Conradie Aug 2026
★★★★★

Good view

Jaspal Singh
Jaspal Singh Aug 2026
★★★★★

August 2026 5* Visited the Constitution Hill on Friday evening. The entrance ticket is R100 and ticketing office is located on the back side. This is important place to visit to understand the dark history of apartheid and how people were treated. Gandhi and Mandela both imprisoned here during different era but you can see their cell. It is very hard to even imagine the conditions of prisoners. The complex is big and there are 4 parts: - Men prison Cell (Gandhi cell) - Old Fort (Mandela cell) - Women prison cell - Constitution court Some of the cell are so dark and small. It was very emotional to see how political prisoners were living there. The place is not fully accessible so it can be challenging for people with special needs and wheelchair. Netflix is working on one series about law and legal rules.

Jeewan Jain
Jeewan Jain Aug 2026
★★★★★

A completely different experience!

Mel Luye
Mel Luye Aug 2026
★★★★★

How to rate this place..? Hmm, facing the harsh reality of jail, the ugly condition of incarceration. The voice tutorial buttons didn't work. Fortunately, I can read.

Milano Scharnick
Milano Scharnick Aug 2026
★★★★★

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Last updated on 24 September 2026

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