Liliesleaf Farm Historical Site

Address: 17a Vogel Road, Rivonia, Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Website: https://www.liliesleaf.org.za

Hours: Tue-Sun 9:00am-5:00pm, closed Mondays and public holidays

Admission: Admission approx. 70 ZAR (~$4) for adults; check official site for current rates and guided tour prices.

Liliesleaf Farm is a heritage site and museum in the Rivonia suburb of Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa. It is internationally noted for its role in the anti-apartheid struggle and its association with the Rivonia Trial.

The site includes a preserved farmhouse, outbuildings and a museum presenting archival material, photographs and artifacts related to the African National Congress and its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe. Interpretive exhibits and guided tours focus on the activities that took place at the property in the early 1960s and on the legal proceedings that followed the 1963 police raid.

The farmhouse was used as a safe house and operational base by ANC activists in the early 1960s. A police raid on 11 July 1963 led to arrests of key activists and to the Rivonia Trial, whose convictions in 1964 resulted in long prison sentences for several leaders of the liberation movement.

The property sits in Rivonia, a suburb of Sandton in the northern part of the Johannesburg metropolitan area, Gauteng province. It is managed as a museum and public heritage site within the urban environment of greater Johannesburg.

• Rivonia raid (1963): Police raids at the property on 11 July 1963 resulted in arrests that formed the basis of the Rivonia Trial, which led to long prison sentences for prominent anti-apartheid leaders.
• Location and visitor access: Located in the Rivonia suburb of Sandton within the Johannesburg metropolitan area, the site operates as a heritage museum with guided tours and displays about the liberation struggle.

What to See#

• Main house: Former farmhouse that served as a safe house and operational base for anti-apartheid activists in the early 1960s, now conserved as the principal preserved building on the site.
• Museum and exhibitions: On-site museum and exhibition space presenting documents, photographs and objects related to the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Rivonia Trial, arranged for public display and interpretation.

Liliesleaf Farm sits in the Rivonia suburb of Sandton in Johannesburg. From Johannesburg’s city centre (Braamfontein/Smartie Town area), it is roughly a 20-30 minute drive depending on traffic via the M1 and William Nicol Drive (M81). Limited parking is available on-site; the nearest Gautrain station is Sandton, from which taxis or ride-hailing services complete the journey.

• Reserve the narrated tour in advance-space fills for weekend and school holiday visits.
• The museum can be emotionally intense; allow time to sit with exhibits and watch the archival footage in the viewing room.
• Use the on-site audio guide for deeper context on Rivonia Trial artifacts and liberation movements.