Kliptown

Gauteng

LoginSave

Established in 1891 and found southwest of Orlando West, Kliptown is Soweto's oldest settlement. Informal settlements (shacks) for black families started to appear here in 1903 and it is also where the Freedom Charter was adopted on 26 June 1955. The site of the adoption, once a football field, has become the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication.

In the square is the conical brick Freedom Charter Monument while around it you'll find an information centre, the Soweto Hotel, the small free Kliptown Museum, a convention centre, banks and a lively market.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Constitutional Court on Constitution Hill.

    Constitution Hill

    11.24 MILES

    Do not leave Jo'burg without visiting Constitution Hill. One of South Africa's most important historical sites, the deeply moving and inspirational…

  • 28 OCT 2017: the District Six Museum, a museum in memory of apartheid, located in Cape Town. 788479459 segregation, white, black, memorial, history, labor, slavery, forced movement, apartheid, district six, six, district, building, collection, exhibition, exhibit, art, museum, landmark, tourism, travel, cape town, capetown, architecture, african, africa, south african, south africa, sa, editorial

    Apartheid Museum

    7.81 MILES

    The Apartheid Museum illustrates the rise and fall of South Africa’s era of segregation and oppression, and is an absolute must-see. It uses a broad…

  • Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa.

    Sterkfontein Caves

    20.5 MILES

    One of the most significant archaeological sites in the world, Sterkfontein Caves include a permanent hominid exhibit and a walkway down into the…

  • Exterior of the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum in Soweto.

    Hector Pieterson Museum

    3.19 MILES

    This powerful museum, named after the 12-year-old boy shot dead during the student protests in Soweto on 16 June 1976, illuminates the role of Sowetan…

  • Maropeng

    Maropeng

    24.97 MILES

    Partly housed in a building that looks like a giant grassy mound on one side and shiny modern steel on the other, Maropeng is an all-in-one information…

  • Constitutional Court

    Constitutional Court

    11.32 MILES

    Inaugurated in 2004, with its design based on the African concept of 'justice under a tree', the Constitutional Court is a very real symbol of modern…

  • Liliesleaf Farm

    Liliesleaf Farm

    19.08 MILES

    A highlight of Jo'burg's northern suburbs is Liliesleaf Farm. This was the secret headquarters of the ANC (African National Congress) from 1961 until a…

  • June 16 Memorial Acre

    June 16 Memorial Acre

    2.58 MILES

    Opposite one of the schools from which students marched on 16 June 1976 is this stunning open-air memorial to the bloody events that presaged the Soweto…

View more attractions

Nearby Gauteng attractions

1. Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication

0.13 MILES

Located in Kliptown, the oldest settlement in Soweto to accommodate all races, the Walter Sisulu Sq of Dedication is the site where the Freedom Charter…

2. Freedom Charter Monument

0.17 MILES

This brick tower right on Walter Sisulu Sq symbolises freedom and democracy. It's built where the Freedom Charter was adopted by the Congress of the…

3. Regina Mundi Church

1.26 MILES

South Africa's largest Catholic church, with a capacity of 5000, was an important meeting point during the apartheid years. It's a calm and impressive…

4. Avalon Cemetery

2.05 MILES

A place associated with the country's history, in this cemetery you’ll find the graves of Joe Slovo (plot B35311; the former leader of the South African…

5. June 16 Memorial Acre

2.58 MILES

Opposite one of the schools from which students marched on 16 June 1976 is this stunning open-air memorial to the bloody events that presaged the Soweto…

6. Home of Archbishop Desmond Tutu

2.96 MILES

Close to the Mandela House Museum is the home of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A plaque marks the location but the house is not open to visitors.

7. Mandela House Museum

2.97 MILES

Nelson Mandela lived with his first wife, Evelyn, and later with his second wife, Winnie, in this four-room house, just off Vilakazi St. The museum…

8. Hector Pieterson Museum

3.19 MILES

This powerful museum, named after the 12-year-old boy shot dead during the student protests in Soweto on 16 June 1976, illuminates the role of Sowetan…