Welcome to Liliesleaf

“At the Rivonia Trialist Reunion held at Liliesleaf in December 2001 President Thabo Mbeki announced the establishment of the Liliesleaf Trust. The Trust aims to ensure that the unique heritage, history and legacy of Liliesleaf Farm is preserved for future generations.”

Situated in residential Rivonia, the insightful and interactive museum experience Liliesleaf honours South Africa’s remarkable heritage and the impressive trajectory of South Africa’s socio-political past. Once the headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC and the Congress Alliance, Liliesleaf holds a position of esteem among struggle landmarks in South Africa. Visitors to Liliesleaf will experience a first-hand account of the events and circumstances leading up to the infamous raid of the Rivonia farm, as well as insights into some of the revolutionary personalities who helped to shape South Africa’s democracy.

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Liliesleaf reopened its doors to the public in June 2008, as an interactive and experiential tribute to the prominent political leaders who once congregated on its property, and the ideals, beliefs and ideologies these men represented against the face of Grand Apartheid.

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Directions to Liliesleaf >>

We welcome you to browse through our site, read the stories, and retell them. One of the objectives of the Liliesleaf Trust is not only to preserve the narrative of our historical and political past, but to ensure that these stories are circulated and known, and that the hardships endured by the men, women and children who fought for so long can be heard.

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Opening Hours

Liliesleaf is open to the public seven days a week, from 08h00-18h00

"Liliesleaf was an old house that needed work and no one lived there. I moved in under the pretext that I was a houseboy or caretaker that would live there until my master took possession. I had taken the alias David Motsamayi, the name of one of my former clients. At the farm, I wore the simple blue overalls that were the uniform of the black male servant."
Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

Watch the stories of South Africa’s past unfold in 3-D

INTERACTIVE TABLE > MANOR HOUSE
The table displays a 3d interface consisting of video, images, audio, and text. The interface is browsed by visitors using two aluminum ‘navigators’, that allow them to view info about the Apartheid era in South Africa. Click here for more…