Drakenstein Correctional Centre
Drakenstein Correctional Centre (Victor Verster)
The prison gates through which Mandela walked free in 1990 after 27 years behind bars, with a bronze statue of him raising his fist standing outside.
Drakenstein Correctional Centre, formerly Victor Verster Prison, is where Mandela was held during the final 14 months of his imprisonment, in a warder's cottage. On 11 February 1990 he walked out through its gate hand in hand with his wife Winnie, raising his fist in salute, an image that became a symbol of South Africa's democratic transition. The prison is still in use and visitors cannot go inside, but you can view and photograph the bronze statue of Mandela with his raised fist, erected in 2008 outside the gate. It lies on the R301 between Paarl and Franschhoek and can be visited for 15–30 minutes on a winelands tour.
Opening hours
Exterior viewable all day (prison not open to visitors)
Nearby sights
- Boschendal
- La Motte Wine Estate
- Babylonstoren
- Afrikaans Language Monument
- Fairview Wine and Cheese
- Delaire Graff Estate
- Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve
- Huguenot Monument & Memorial Museum