Sites

The original prison was built by the ZAR govemment in 1893. After the Jameson Raid
of 1895, a rampart was erected around the prison, effectively turning it into a military
fort.
In 1900, during the Anglo Boer War, the British took control of Johannesburg and used
the fort as a prison for captured Boers. Once the war was over, The Fort remained a
place of imprisonment - thereafter known as the Johannesburg Prison. In 1907 the
Transvaal government ceded and transferred the land on which the Johannesburg
Prison establishment stood to the Johannesburg Council.
The first Women's Gaol was originally located northeast of the Old Fort site. As-built
plans dating from 1899 to circa 1909 reflect how the original Women's Gaol buildings
were expanded to accommodate additional facilities. (Annexure 5).
In circa 1909 a new Women's Gaol was built on a srte directly west of The Fort. The
buildings were designed in the Architecture Department of the Public Works
Department (PWD) of the Transvaal Colony. The chief architect of the PWD (for the
period 1907 to 1910) was Piercy James Eagle, and while the design of the Women's
Gaol cannot (without further research) be clearly attributed to him, he would certainly
have had an overseeing role.
This prison housed ordinary criminals as well as more notorious figures like Daisy de
Melker. De Melker was found guilty of the murder of two of her husbands and one son.
She was the first white woman to be hanged in this country. Contrary to popular belief,
no hanging took place at this Gaol and De Melker was hanged at Pretoria Central.
During the 1950's there was a serious shortage of space and at night prisoners were
locked up in the passages between the cells. The situation was aggravated by the fact
that small children or babies often accompanied women prisoners.
Whilst the vast majority of inmates held at the Gaol were ordinary women arrested for
pass offences or independent beer brewing, the Women's Gaol has a long history of
imprisoning prominent political activists. In October of 1958, about 1200 women,
including Winnie Madikizela Mandela were arrested while protesting outside the
Johannesburg Pass Office for contravening the Criminal Law Amendment Act. They
were taken to the Women's Gaol and, as intended, the number of prisoners
overwhelmed the resources of the prison. After being incarcerated for a fortnight, they
were found guilty and sentenced en masse.
Winnie Madikizela Mandela was detained following the 1976 Soweto Uprising under
the Internal Security Act. Thereafter, she was banished to Bradfort.

Other political figures held at the Women's included:
o Ellen Kuzwayo, at the age of 63, was detained for 5 months under the so-called
Terrorism Act.
o Joyce Serote - now chair of the Commission of Gender Equality
o Ruth First, Helen Joseph and Lillian Ngoyi - charged with planning the violent
overthrow of the govemment
o Jean Middleton - was involved in anti-apartheid politics and was arrested in 1964
and detained for a year in the Women's Gaol.
The Johannesburg Prison was finally closed in 1982. The Women's Gaol was occupied
by the Johannesburg Traffic Department shortly thereafter until approximately four
years ago. The Department was responsible for alterations made to the interiors and
some parts of the exterior of the Gaol to transform it into office space. The premises
are currently vacant, apart from temporary exhibitions being held there. The
Commission for Gender Equality intends to take occupancy of the Women's Gaol and
the alterations and additions applied for in this document will ensure its continued
viability in the future.