Drakenstein Prison (Victor Verster Prison)

South Africa / Western Cape / Paarl /
 prison, notable event, Nelson Mandela
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The prison is famous for being the prison where Nelson Mandela spent the last three of the 27 years he spent in prison for campaigning against Apartheid.
In 1984 Mandela was transferred from the maximum security prison on Robben Island, a small island in Table Bay, to Pollsmoor Prison in Tokai, Cape Town. From there, Mandela was moved to the then Victor Verster prison in 1988, where he lived in a private house inside the prison compound. Victor Verster, a farm prison, was often used as a stepping stone for releasing lower-risk political prisoners. Mandela served another three years at Victor Verster until his release on 11 February 1990. On the day of his release, news agencies from all over the world surrounded the prison, gaining the prison much notoriety worldwide.
The private house where Mandela lived has been declared a South African National Heritage Site, and a statue of Mandela stands just outside the prison gates
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Coordinates:   33°50'40"S   19°0'40"E
This article was last modified 12 years ago