Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg: Visitor Guide, Hours and Tickets

Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg: Visitor Guide, Hours and Tickets: History & Culture

Discover Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg: Visitor Guide, Hours and Tickets

The Apartheid Museum is in Ormonde, in the south of Johannesburg, at the corner of Northern Parkway and Gold Reef Roads, next to the Gold Reef City theme park and casino. It opened in November 2001 and calls itself “the pre-eminent Museum in the World dealing with 20th Century South Africa”. It uses film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts to tell the story of how apartheid rose and fell. Before you go, note three things: it is closed on Mondays, it is not recommended for children under 11, and South African citizens and international visitors pay different prices.

Visitor information at a glance

• Address: Corner of Northern Parkway and Gold Reef Roads, Ormonde, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00, and most public holidays. Closed on Mondays.
• Time needed: The museum suggests allowing two hours for a brief visit. Many visitors say to give it much longer, even a full day.
• Age advisory: Because of graphic content, the museum says it is “not deemed suitable for children under the age of 11”.
• Phone: +27 (11) 309 4700
• Email: [email protected]
• Tickets online: sold through Webtickets

Tickets and admission prices

These are the museum’s official admission fees from 1 May 2026:

International visitors (including SADC)

• Adults: R240
• Students, pensioners and children: R190

South African citizens (with a valid SA ID)

• Adults: R170
• Students, pensioners and children: R120

Guided tours and school groups

Groups of 15 or more must book guided tours in advance. The tours cost R260 per international adult and R190 per South African adult, with lower rates for concessions. School tours cost R60 per learner and R70 per educator. Book these 4 to 6 weeks ahead.

Free entry on Heritage Day

South African citizens get in free on Heritage Day, 24 September.

What you will see inside

The museum has 22 separate exhibition areas. Together they take visitors on what the museum describes as “a dramatic emotional journey” through the rise and fall of apartheid. The route is designed to be felt as well as read, so many people find the visit very moving.

The race-classified entrance

The visit starts before you are inside. Each ticket randomly labels you “white” or “non-white”, and you go in through the entrance that matches your label. It is a short, deliberate taste of the racial classification that shaped daily life under apartheid.

The Pillars of the Constitution

In the forecourt stand seven pillars, one for each of these values: Democracy, Equality, Reconciliation, Diversity, Responsibility, Respect and Freedom.

Permanent exhibitions

The permanent displays include:

• Race Classification: how the state sorted people by race
• Journeys: photographs of the descendants of Johannesburg’s immigrants
• Segregation: how separation was built into law and everyday life

Current exhibitions

At the time of writing, the museum’s website lists these exhibitions:

• The Permanent Exhibition
• The Nelson Mandela Exhibition
• The Desmond Tutu Exhibition
• An exhibition on John Kani, marking six decades of performance and social justice
• Time to Act, marking 40 years of the United Democratic Front

Temporary exhibitions change, so check the museum’s own website before you visit.

How the museum came to be

The museum grew out of the bidding for casino licences in 1995. The Akani Egoli consortium, behind Gold Reef City, won its casino bid partly by promising to build a museum on the land next door. The museum was built on a seven-hectare site with about R80 million of funding from Gold Reef City, and it opened in November 2001.

It is run as an independent Section 21 (non-profit) company that leases its site from Gold Reef City. It depends on donations and sponsorship. The actor Dr John Kani chairs its board of trustees. The museum also holds events at least five times a year to celebrate the end of apartheid and South Africa’s multiracial democracy.

Getting there

The museum is in the Gold Reef City area, south of the Johannesburg CBD, and is reached by car from the M1 highway. The nearest airport is O.R. Tambo International (JNB), with Lanseria (HLA) the next closest. Many tour operators sell combined Soweto and Apartheid Museum tours, which suit visitors who would rather not drive.

Food and facilities

The museum has its own café and shop. There are more places to eat in the Gold Reef City casino and theme-park complex next door.

Things to do nearby

• Gold Reef City: This theme park opened in 1987 on a gold mine that closed in 1971. It is themed on the 1886 gold rush and has roller coasters including the Anaconda and the Tower of Terror, a casino, and a mining-heritage museum where you can watch gold being poured.
• Soweto: Pairing Soweto with the Apartheid Museum makes a full heritage day.
• Constitution Hill: Another heritage stop that goes well with a morning at the museum.

Tips for your visit

• Don’t plan your visit for a Monday, when the museum is closed.
• Allow more than the two hours the museum suggests if you want to see every exhibition area properly.
• South African visitors should bring a valid SA ID to get the local rate.
• With children, remember the under-11 advisory and think about whether the graphic content suits your family.
• Groups of 15 or more must book a guided tour in advance, and schools should book 4 to 6 weeks ahead.

Photo: Justin Hall, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.