The Old Prison, Pietermaritzburg
The site was commissioned in 1862, with the perimeter wall, and what is now known as the National Monument block being the first buildings constructed on the site. Other buildings were added at a later date, and included the gallows, the ‘whites only’ section, the hospital, gibbet, etc. The Old Prison was a medium security institution, and many freedom fighters were held here during the struggles in South Africa. Well known prisoners held at The Old Prison, Pietermaritzburg, included King Dinuzulu, Son of King Cetshwayo, who was imprisoned twice in Pietermaritzburg, once in 1888, before his exile to St Helena and again in 1907 for his complicity in the Bambatha Rebellion;
Peter Brown (1924–2004) a founding member of the Liberal Party of South Africa succeeded Alan Paton as its national chairman in 1958. Brown was arrested in March 1960, ten days after the Sharpeville massacre and was released without charge after 98 days in prison;
Nelson Mandela, President of SOuth AFrica, was held at the Old Prison after his capture in 1962;
Mohandas 'Mahatma' Gandhi is also thought to have been held at the Old Prison after being thrown from the train at Pietermaritzburg Railway Station for travelling in a First Class compartment;
A.S. Chetty, a political activist in the struggle against apartheid, was a trade unionist. He was involved in the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) at first, and then later in the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the African National Congress (ANC). He was arrested under the State of Emergency in 1960, imprisoned for 98 days, and then was banned for five years. In 1983 he was again imprisoned, and subsequently placed under House Arrest from 1983-1988;
Derick Marsh, senior Lecturer in English at the University of Natal, 1954-60. Whilst in the Old Prison, he wrote on of hisbooks, ‘The Recurring Miracle;a Study of Cymbeline and the Last Plays’, in which he thanks the South African government for affording him the time he needed to write the book! Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma, along with a group of women, was arrested and sentenced to three months hard labour in September 1913. There are many others, with fascinating stories. Why not come and visit the new, interactive museum, and take a tour of this amazing and historical site?
