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Welcome to the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum

The Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum is a memorial to the system of migrant labour, single sex hostels and the control of black workers through the identity document which controlled the lives of black South Africans under apartheid— the infamous pass book.

TOURS & WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

The museum guided tours include a tour of the museum where history of the development of the area of Lwandle is shared with you by our knowledgeable site guides. You will be taken through the museum exhibitions which include unayo na imap/ do you have a map; an exhibition of maps showing the development of Lwandle from a farm to hostels and RDP houses, stories of home; an exhibition about what home means for former migrants and current residents of Lwandle, The transported of KwaNdebele exhibition; a collection of photographs by David Goldblatt showing the challenges of migrant workers with regards to transport and traveling to work, Lwandle Designers exhibition which focuses on clothing design in Lwandle, Siyanyanzela Exhibition which tells the horrific story of eviction in the current democratic South Africa.

After the tour of the museum, visitors are taken to hostel 33, a provincial heritage site, to witness the living conditions and to get a sense of how migrants were treated and how they used to lived during the migrant labor system.

The tour of hostel 33 is followed by a walk in Lwandle which shows you the historical landmarks in the area, the guide will stop in each site and narrate the story of the site. The tour ends at the museum’s wall of fame where you will learn about community leaders who were instrumental in both the development of the area and the museum.

NEWS & EVENTS

“THE HOSTEL IS A REMINDER OF THE SUFFERING THAT PEOPLE WENT THROUGH UNDER APARTHEID POLICIES AND THE CHEAP LABOUR SYSTEM IN SOUTH AFRICA”