November 9, 2014
Leafy grounds of Liliesleaf, hidden away in the Rivonia suburbs of Johannesburg.
Liliesleaf is not somewhere you often hear included in a description of South Africa's history, but it is a vitally significant piece of the puzzle in the history of apartheid.
On the outside, it looked like any other house in its lush Rivonia surroundings. A man named Arthur Goldreich moved in with his family and they posed as normal middle-class white citizens. In reality, Arthur was a community activist, and the property was purchased by the African National Congress (ANC) to use as a secret meeting place.
During Liliesleaf's heyday it was the go-to spot to hold meetings, hide people from the police and the government, and is known to be the birthplace of Operation Mayibuye, the movement that initiated the overthrow of the apartheid government. Many prominent anti-apartheid figures active in the liberation movement (Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela included) used this facility as a covert hideout and safe-house. In fact, Nelson Mandela lived here, posing as the gardener David Motsamayi.
On July 11, 1963 the property was raided by the South African Police during a crucial meeting of ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP) leadership. The raid resulted in the Rivonia Treason Trails, where several members of the ANC and SACP were sentenced to life in prison. Side note: Nelson Mandela was already in prison at the time of the raid.
In 2008 the farm was restored to resemble its state back in the 60's, and has been turned into an interactive and enlightening museum. Each of the buildings house a different aspect of the property's purpose: from voice recordings of a police officer who was involved in the raid, to drawers that open and close to reveal treasures of life at Liliesleaf, to restored/replicated maps and project plans developed by the ANC/SACP leaders.
For me, our visit to Liliesleaf confirmed that there were (and likely still are) many secrets and layers under the surface that take their time to be revealed when it comes to apartheid and its eventual end.
On the outside, it looked like any other house in its lush Rivonia surroundings. A man named Arthur Goldreich moved in with his family and they posed as normal middle-class white citizens. In reality, Arthur was a community activist, and the property was purchased by the African National Congress (ANC) to use as a secret meeting place.
During Liliesleaf's heyday it was the go-to spot to hold meetings, hide people from the police and the government, and is known to be the birthplace of Operation Mayibuye, the movement that initiated the overthrow of the apartheid government. Many prominent anti-apartheid figures active in the liberation movement (Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela included) used this facility as a covert hideout and safe-house. In fact, Nelson Mandela lived here, posing as the gardener David Motsamayi.
On July 11, 1963 the property was raided by the South African Police during a crucial meeting of ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP) leadership. The raid resulted in the Rivonia Treason Trails, where several members of the ANC and SACP were sentenced to life in prison. Side note: Nelson Mandela was already in prison at the time of the raid.
In 2008 the farm was restored to resemble its state back in the 60's, and has been turned into an interactive and enlightening museum. Each of the buildings house a different aspect of the property's purpose: from voice recordings of a police officer who was involved in the raid, to drawers that open and close to reveal treasures of life at Liliesleaf, to restored/replicated maps and project plans developed by the ANC/SACP leaders.
For me, our visit to Liliesleaf confirmed that there were (and likely still are) many secrets and layers under the surface that take their time to be revealed when it comes to apartheid and its eventual end.
M and I together with our UK colleague discovering a bit of history at Liliesleaf.
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