Gandhiji was imprisoned here on two occasions during his struggle in South Africa; first time in 1908. He was kept in Section 4 which was meant for non-Whites. Nelson Mandela was also imprisoned here on two occasion, in 1956 and in 1962. Once he was kept in the Awaiting Trial Block and the second time in the Hospital ward meant for the Whites for security reasons. This prison held almost all leading Struggle Heroes of South Africa during the apartheid days and its brutality represented the darkest side of the racist regime.
The site is home to an exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi in Section 4. A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was inaugurated close to the exhibition during the visit of President of India in 2012. The Hill also houses the Women’s Gaol museum, Number Four museum and Old Fort museum. The Mandela cell is in the Old Fort Complex.
The site was chosen in the mid-1990s as the site for the new Constitutional Court which is the highest court in the country on constitutional matters. The Awaiting Trial Block was demolished to make space for the Court. But to preserve the heritage of the place, all the old bricks from the Block were used for construction of the new Court.
The Constitutional Hill complex and its various sections are available for social, cultural, educational and community development engagements.
