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Home » South Africa » Photo Essay: Apartheid Museum South Africa
PhotosSouth Africa

Photo Essay: Apartheid Museum South Africa

Matthew Klint Posted onOctober 22, 2022November 13, 2023 6 Comments

The Apartheid Museum is a must-see when visiting Johannesburg, South Africa. The museum succinctly and frankly tells the story of Apartheid in South Africa and invites further contemplation, no matter what your background is.

Apartheid Museum In South Africa, A Photo Essay

I set aside an entire day for this museum, a venue that I missed during my two trips to Johannesburg and was closed due to the pandemic during my visit last year.

Admission is 150 rand. The museum is open 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday – Sunday. Give yourself at least three hours (I took five, but like to read everything).

My broad takeaway is that while the history of the Union of South Africa is a complicated matter, apartheid was and is indefensible. And while a leader like Jan Smuts may not have been as “bad” as Louis Botha or P. W. Botha, perhaps he is even more culpable for knowing what he was doing was wrong, but doing it anyway.

The museum was a reminder of Edmund Burke’s famous quote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” and the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding that “separate but equal” is “inherently unequal.” The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but the ends do not justify the means.

I don’t mean to be trite, but the exhibits do make you stop and wonder why. But when we see so much injustice and inequality in today’s world, is it really a difficult question? Understanding the extent to which blacks were suppressed makes me more grateful for the evolution of Nelson Mandela. I honestly think that if I was treated as sub-human for so long, my bitterness and rage would grow, not dissipate. A truly remarkable man.

Finally, the system ultimately collapsed…just like the Soviet Union. A corrupt institution cannot stand indefinitely.

Reflecting personally, this trip was so fresh in my mind when I foolishly did the “apartheid” lounge post a few weeks back. Of course, that analogy was in poor taste and what saddened me the most was that I failed to reflect a proper understanding and appreciation of that word and what an impact it had on so many lives in South Africa and beyond.

The museum even had the courage to question the here and now. I’ll never forget during a prior visit to Kruger National Park when a woman sincerely lamented how much she missed the Apartheid government because the current one was even more corrupt. In many ways, the government of South Africa is highly corrupt and the ANC has not run the show well. The museum reflected well on the tension of this feeling amongst some of the population.

Please enjoy the pictures below.

a brick building with a sign on it with Fort Union National Monument in the background

a sign on a wall

a brick wall with a poster on it

a water feature with plants growing in it

a tall concrete building with multiple pillars

a brick building with a sign on the front

a sign on a brick wall

a man standing in a room with signs on the walls

a sign on a fence

a metal cage with signs on it

a black sign with white text

a sign with text on it

a sign on a door

a person walking on a sidewalk

a walkway with a mirror on it

a sign on a brick wall

a sign on a brick wall

a brick wall with a group of insects on it

a couple of mirrors in a walkway

a sign on a brick wall

a person in a mirror

a reflection of a man and a child in a mirror

a brick wall and a brick building with a couple of people in the mirror

a sign on a brick wall

a field with red flowers and brick walls

a room with a group of pictures on the wall

a piece of paper on a graph paper

a poster on a wall

a sign with text and pictures on it

a large picture of naked men raising their hands

a poster on a brick wall

a paper with text on it

a page of a book

a long brick hallway with pictures on the wall

a wall with a sign on it

a book on a wall

a book on a brick wall

a black man holding a stick and a newspaper on a brick wall

a sign on a brick wall

a yellow truck in a room

a group of ropes from a ceiling

a picture of a room with ropes from the ceiling

a room with doors open

a yellow vehicle in a room

a sign with text on it

a poster on a brick wall

a group of posters on a wall

a wall of posters with text

a framed picture of people in red

a building with a fence and a fence

a man in a red robe sitting on a couch

a white board with writing on it

a display case with a group of people

a black sign with white text on it

a paper with text on it

a group of posters on a wall

a wall with pictures of people on it

a hallway with posters on the wall

a painting of a plane on a wall

a hallway with a painting on the wall

a sign on a wall

a piece of paper with text on it

a white paper with black text

a wall with black text on it

a flag from a wall

a walkway with a building and trees

a sign on a tree

a brick walkway with a tree in the background

a tree on a path

a wall with a group of portraits of men

a glass box with papers inside

a piece of paper with writing on it

a red car in a room with a yellow wall and a poster

a poster with a group of images of a man waving

a statue of a man on a stand next to a sign

a statue of a person on a metal stand

 

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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6 Comments

  1. Sean M. Reply
    October 22, 2022 at 7:14 am

    Quick comment – current hours are only Wed-Sun 0900-1700 and not daily. Mon/Tue closed.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      October 22, 2022 at 7:25 am

      Thanks.

  2. Willem Reply
    October 22, 2022 at 7:56 am

    Was closed last year for the pandemic when I’d hoped to go, I’ll definitely come next time I find myself in Johannesburg

  3. Arron Reply
    October 22, 2022 at 8:15 am

    Did they have a special section devoted to the Virgin Atlantic lounge?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      October 22, 2022 at 8:26 am

      Cute.

  4. Lukas Reply
    October 22, 2022 at 11:57 am

    I’ve been here before. Very eye-opening…
    “I’ll never forget during a prior visit to Kruger National Park when a woman sincerely lamented how much she missed the Apartheid government because the current one was even more corrupt.”

    What’s truly sad about this is that back then, you could “justify” this by saying “well, it’s the whites doing it to blacks”. Whereas today, the blacks are doing it to their own. Sigh…

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