Arts, Culture & Heritage
X-twitter Facebook Instagram
Blue Plaque Sites

Kholvad House

Table of Contents

About Kholvad House

Developed by the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation in consultation with the City of Joburg

Address

29 Albertina Sisulu Street, Ferreirastown
27 April 2019

Inscription

KHOLVAD HOUSE The architect of Kholvad House was anti-apartheid activist Lionel ÒRustyÓ Bernstein. Initially occupied by Ismail Meer, Flat 13 became Òthe headquarters of young freedom fightersÓ. When Ahmed ÒKathyÓ Kathrada took over Flat 13, it remained a hive of political activity. After Oliver tambo left for exile in 1960, Mandela moved his legal practice to Flat 13. Kathrada was subsequently arrested and sentenced in the Rivonia Trial to life imprisonment on Robben Island. Mandela described it as a place where Òthe first seeds of non-racialism were sown and a wider concept of the nation came into beingÓ.

Photo courtesy: Kabelo Mokoena (Sunday Times)

Explore Joburg

A culmination of research gathered over many years, the Online Johannesburg Heritage Register is being launched on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July 2025.

Among the many heritage sites featured is Chancellor House, the downtown offices of Mandela and Tambo Attorneys in the 1950s. After having been vacant and shuttered for more than a decade, this iconic building is being revived and brought to life once again as offices for the Community Development Department, which oversees the City’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Services.

Browse Heritage Sites