Constitution Hill Johannesburg: Number Four, the Old Fort and the Constitutional Court
The site: prison, court, and contradiction
Constitution Hill occupies a ridge in the inner-city Braamfontein/Hillbrow area of Johannesburg. The site has a history that begins in 1893, when the South African Republic (ZAR) built a prison in the newly established Rand Mines area. The prison was expanded under British colonial rule after the Anglo-Boer War and then again under the Union of South Africa and the apartheid government.
By the 1940s-1980s, the Constitution Hill complex comprised:
- The Old Fort (the original 1893-96 structure, used primarily to hold white prisoners)
- Number Four (the main Black African male prison, built in the 1930s-40s)
- The Women’s Jail (separate structure, held women of all racial classifications)
- The Awaiting Trial Block (holding before court appearance)
Mahatma Gandhi was held in the Old Fort in 1906 (for refusing to register under the Black Act, the Asiatic Registration Act) and again in 1913. Nelson Mandela was held in the Awaiting Trial Block in the 1950s before his imprisonment on Robben Island. Albert Luthuli, first African Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was also held here.
In 1994, the new constitutional government selected this site — specifically the site of the demolished sections of the prison — to build the Constitutional Court of South Africa. The choice was deliberate: the Constitution that ended apartheid would sit on the land where apartheid imprisoned its opponents.
Number Four: what it was
Number Four was the prison section designated for Black African male inmates. The formal classification system determined who entered through which gate; Number Four was the lowest-status entry point in the hierarchy.
The conditions in Number Four are documented in exhaustive detail by the court transcripts of the prisoners who passed through it, the testimony of warders, and the architectural records. The key facts:
The communal cell (“the big section”) was designed to hold perhaps 100 men. At peak, it held 700-900. Men slept on the floor, body to body, without mattresses. The toilet facility was a single bucket at one end of the cell. Inmates were required to stand with their hands behind their backs when a warden entered. The food was calibrated by race — Black African inmates received the lowest-calorie ration in the officially graded diet system.
The cells in the isolation section were 2m by 2m. They were used for punishment or for political prisoners requiring “special measures.” The walls show the scratched records of inmates — names, dates, tallied days.
Ritual degradation on entry: the standard procedure on admission was a forced squat jump (a “jolting” practice designed to dislodge hidden contraband, though also plainly designed to humiliate) followed by a shared shower. Prisoners were given clothing identified by their racial classification. This is documented in multiple testimonies.
The Women’s Jail: a different account
The Women’s Jail held women from 1909 onward. Political prisoners here included Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Ruth First (the journalist and activist, later assassinated in Mozambique by an ANC parcel bomb in 1982), Helen Joseph (the anti-apartheid activist and Treason Trial defendant), and hundreds of lesser-known activists.
The Women’s Jail is smaller than Number Four and in better physical condition. The isolation cells are approximately 1.5m by 2m — solitary confinement in cells not large enough to lie down fully. Ruth First’s testimony of her detention here is among the most precise and terrifying accounts of psychological torture in the apartheid-era literature.
The Women’s Jail tour is typically offered as an optional add-on to the main Constitution Hill tour. Take it.
The Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court was completed in 2004 and has been the seat of South Africa’s highest court since. It occupies the northern section of the Constitution Hill site, built on the footprint of the demolished Awaiting Trial Block.
The architectural commission was won by OMM Design Workshop, and the building is a serious work of public architecture — deliberately designed to be non-monumental, to feel accessible, and to incorporate the textures of the demolished prison (bricks from the demolition were used in the new building). The entranceway uses the worn steps from the original prison as a literal threshold.
Inside, the entrance hall is lined with artworks commissioned from 64 South African artists to represent themes of constitution, law, justice, and human rights. The work covers all 11 official languages and draws on multiple cultural visual traditions. The public galleries of the court are open when the court is not in session — walk in, look at the ceiling (deliberately designed to evoke an open African sky and a tree canopy), and sit in the seats where advocates argue constitutional matters before 11 justices.
The public gallery experience is free. It is one of the most quietly remarkable spaces in South Africa.
The tour structure
Self-guided: the Number Four and Old Fort sections have clear signage. The Women’s Jail is accessible without a guide. The Constitutional Court public areas are accessible independently. Allow 1.5 hours.
Guided tour: guided tours of Constitution Hill depart approximately every 2 hours from the main entrance. The guide leads you through Number Four in depth — the communal cell, the degradation procedures, the isolation block — and provides contextual narrative for the political prisoners who passed through. Allow 2 hours with a guide.
The guided experience is substantially better. Number Four’s physical evidence is striking but the interpretation requires verbal context that the signage alone cannot carry.
Entry: ZAR 120 adults, ZAR 65 children (2026). Book online or at the entrance.
Constitution Hill and Apartheid Museum half-day tourCombining with the Apartheid Museum
Constitution Hill and the Apartheid Museum are 22 km apart. Most visitors do both in a single day, which is feasible and gives a complementary picture:
- Apartheid Museum: the legislative and political history, comprehensive, national scope
- Constitution Hill: the carceral reality, intimate, specific, architectural
Start at Constitution Hill (9am-11:30am), then Uber to the Apartheid Museum (30 minutes from Hillbrow area), spend the afternoon (12:30-4:30pm) at the museum. This is a full, heavy day. Plan a quiet evening.
Logistics note: Constitution Hill is at the Hillbrow edge of Braamfontein. The surrounding streets require situational awareness if you are walking independently. Don’t walk from the museum to the street looking for an Uber pickup; use the museum carpark or request your Uber from inside the building.
FAQ
Who was held in the Old Fort vs Number Four?
The Old Fort was the general prison for all male inmates under the ZAR (1890s) and British colonial period (1900-1910). Under the Union and later apartheid, the Old Fort held primarily white prisoners, while Number Four was explicitly for Black African male inmates. The racial classification of the prison facilities followed the same logic as the racial classification of everything else.
Can I see Mandela’s specific cell?
Nelson Mandela was held in the Awaiting Trial Block, which was demolished to build the Constitutional Court. The cell no longer exists. The Constitution Hill tour includes the approximate location and context for his brief detention in the 1950s. His cell on Robben Island is preserved — that is the place to visit for the specific cell experience.
Is Constitution Hill less crowded than the Apartheid Museum?
Significantly. The Apartheid Museum draws 150,000-200,000 visitors per year. Constitution Hill draws substantially fewer. Weekday mornings are very quiet — sometimes you have the Number Four section almost to yourself, which is an eerie and productive experience. This is an underrated heritage site in a city that funnels visitors to the bigger brand.
How do I get from Constitution Hill to the Joburg CBD?
10-15 minutes by Uber. The CBD (Mandela Bridge, Newtown, Market Theatre) is directly accessible. Hillbrow is immediately adjacent to Constitution Hill but requires a guide or local knowledge for any walking beyond the museum precinct — it is a dense, active inner-city neighbourhood that is not tourist infrastructure.
