Hector Pieterson Museum
The museum is named after one of the first casualties of the march through Soweto on 16 June 1976, when police were ordered to shoot at a crowd of demonstrating students. Sam Nzima's photograph of the mortally wounded Hector Pieterson carried by a horrified youngster and his wailing sister came to symbolise the contribution of the youth to the liberation struggle. The museum is next to the Hector Pieterson Memorial, and the whole area has been declared a national heritage site.

Visitors move along a series of ramps and look through strategically placed windows at important scenes - including Orlando Stadium and the police station - and view exhibits such as television footage of the uprising. Participants and witnesses are invited to record their own experiences of the day. Knowledgeable tour guides include Hector's sister, Antoinette Sithole.

Visitor info
8288 Khumalo Street, Orlando West
Tel and fax: 011 536 0611
Open: Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, Sunday from 10am to 4pm
 

Museum Africa

Museum Africa, Johannesburg's major history and cultural history museum, is housed in the Newtown Cultural Precinct's old fruit and vegetable market - which was built in 1913 and has now been imaginatively converted into a modern building. A huge collection of objects, paintings and photographs has been collected since 1935, telling the story of South Africa.

The permanent displays show urban life in Johannesburg and its place in South Africa's complex history, with themes such as work as a gold miner, home in a shack and township jazz. A striking display is of the 1956 Treason Trial, during which Nelson Mandela and 155 others were imprisoned at the Johannesburg Fort. They were acquitted of treason after four years.

Other displays depict early man, stone and iron age communities, San rock art in a reconstructed shelter and the lifestyle of the first white settlers in the Johannesburg area. Also in MuseuMAfricA is the Bensusan Museum of Photography.

Visitor info

121 Bree Street, Newtown, Johannesburg
Tel: 011 833 5624
Fax 011 833 5636
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Open: Tuesdays to Sundays 9am - 5pm. Closed on Good Friday, Christmas Day and 26 December.
There is guarded parking in Mary Fitzgerald Square opposite the entrance. Tours for schools and adult groups can be booked through the education department.