Liliesleaf Farm

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Liliesleaf Farm, in Rivonia just north of Johannesburg, is a historic site best known for being a safe house for anti-apartheid activists in the 1960s. The farm was bought in 1961 by Arthur Goldreich and Harold Wolpe with money from the underground South African Communist Party to shelter black activists in a white area.

It soon became the headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the ANC’s armed wing. Nelson Mandela lived there in disguise as a farm worker named David Motsamayi, but he was later arrested in 1962 on unrelated charges. Other key figures who met there included Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Denis Goldberg, and many others. MK launched Operation Mayibuye from Liliesleaf.

On July 11, 1963, police raided the farm and arrested 19 underground members. Mandela’s papers were found, and he was charged with sabotage along with the others. The Rivonia Trial followed from late 1963 to mid-1964, ending with Mandela and several leaders receiving life sentences.

After the raid, the Schreider family bought the farm and turned it into a guest house. In 2001, following a Rivonia Trial reunion, Nicholas Wolpe set up a trust to own the site and create a museum. Restoration began in 2008, and the site now includes exhibits, a café, accommodation, and a conference centre. It is recognised as a national heritage site and has received government support.

Liliesleaf was listed as a Grade 1 site in 2014 and was declared a national heritage site in 2016. The Liliesleaf Trust ran the site for many years, led by Nicholas Wolpe. The museum closed in September 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic amid funding questions. Reopening was planned for 2022, with the government taking over some funding and oversight. There were concerns about political use, and officials stressed that Liliesleaf should remain a site for all South Africans. The museum houses important artefacts such as the original Freedom Charter, Mandela’s arrest warrant, and Oliver Tambo’s pen gun. The site is commonly called Liliesleaf, though it is also spelt Lilliesleaf.