New Nation School

Table of Contents

About New Nation School

Developed in cooperation with the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation

Address

1st Street, Jan Hofmeyer.
2022

Inscription

NEW NATION SCHOOL Built in 1917 as the Cottesloe Primary School for local white children, it became a focal point of the 1922 Rand Revolt when the strikers moved into the school, giving them a commanding view of the surrounding area. Government forces attacked it fiercely on Sunday morning 12 March with bombs and then with shellfire from guns across the valley in Parktown. Armed only with rifles, the strikers had to retreat from the shells and 1500 men surrendered. In 1996 the school opened to children of all races and they chose the new name. The walls are still riddled with bullet holes.

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.