Kholvad House, which includes Flat 13, is a

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

building and landmark known for its role in the South African struggle for civil rights. Its Flat 13 was the home of

Robben Island Robben Island () is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch language, Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrika ...

prisoner

Ahmed Kathrada Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada OMSG (21 August 1929 – 28 March 2017), sometimes known by the nickname "Kathy", was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist. Kathrada's involvement in the anti-apartheid activities of the African Natio ...

for more than 16 years, including 1952 when he planned the

Defiance Campaign The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in December 1951 in South Africa, 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conferenc ...

, and

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

used the home to see clients in 1960 when his law firm was shut down.

History

Nelson Mandela describes the building as a place where “''the first seeds of non-racialism were sown and a wider concept of the nation came into being''”. The block of flats was designed by Lionel ‘Rusty’ Bernstein, a Communist Party leader and Hilton College old boy In 1942, the flats were constructed by a group of Indians from the peasant community of

Kholvad Kholvad is an area located in Surat, India. See also *List of tourist attractions in Surat Surat is a city of the western Indian state of Gujarat, the eighth largest city and ninth largest urban agglomeration in India. Surat is the ...

. The buildings would also be used to raise funds to educate poor children in Kholvad and in South Africa. Dr. Yusuf Dadoo was one of the early Chairpersons of the Board of Trustees. Flat 13 in Kholvad house earned a reputation for its ongoing contribution to the struggle. The flat acted as the headquarters for freedom fighters. When Ahmed 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. In his book “

Long Walk to Freedom ''Long Walk to Freedom'' is an autobiography by South Africa's first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela, and it was first published in 1994 by Little Brown & Co. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 yea ...

’,

writes: FLAT 13, is also the name of a documentary about Ahmed Kathrada. The film recounts the hopes and tales of anti apartheid activists, that used this flat as a sanctuary Kholvad House is another historical landmark in South Africa's liberation struggle.

References

{{Greater Johannesburg, hist Historic buildings and structures in South Africa Houses in Johannesburg 1942 establishments in South Africa Houses completed in 1942