[imagesource: Tobias Reich on Unsplash]

Loosely characterised as tourism that involves visiting sites connected to death, destruction, mysteries and disasters of any kind, dark tourism has seen an enormous increase in popularity in recent years. Humans are curious by nature. Thanks to series like HBO’s Chernobyl, agencies providing guided tours to dangerous zones were created and the natural curiosity of humans has awakened again.

South Africa is rich with history and tragic past. The country has experienced its own struggles with segregation, apartheid, and freedom movements, making it perfect for exploration of the “ugly” parts of the history and for learning about the past of this beautiful country. In this article, we’re bringing you the top South African destinations to include in your quest for an unusual touristic experience. 

Cape Town Holocaust Centre

Although it might come off as a bit of a surprise, Africa has its own Holocaust museum. Located in Cape Town, the Centre’s aim is to “commemorate the victims and survivors of the Nazi regime and the numerous genocides that happened before and after the Holocaust.” 

Admission is free of charge and offers a permanent exhibition including sections such as “Jewish life in Europe before the Holocaust”, “Germany and the rise of Nazism in 1919-1933″, “The Nazi concentration camp universe” and “Deportation and the death camps” and more. The museum also features information about Antisemitism in South Africa, the Warsaw Ghetto, and the life of Anne Frank.

Finding such a place so far away from the horrors of Hitler’s reign is undoubtedly surprising. However, the importance of understanding the Holocaust for South African people (who had experienced their own segregation and apartheid) cannot be denied. All in all, combining various techniques and displays, the Centre is an interesting place to visit on your hunt for touristic places with a dark history. 

Robben Island

This former prison located outside of Cape Town offers a look at the history of South Africa’s maximum-security prison, which is currently also a UNESCO World Heritage site. With Nelson Mandela spending 18 years of his incarceration on the premises, the prison was home to many political figures and treason activists. 

Because of its rich history and remote location, the island is a well-sought out place. Book a tour and enjoy the boat views of Cape Town, get a detailed tour of the prison from former inmates, explore the island as a part of the guided tour, and visit Nelson Mandela’s cell. Be prepared to book well in advance, though, as the popularity of the place is huge during the main tourist months.

Apartheid Museum (Johannesburg)

Apartheid, or the process of segregation prevalent in South Africa and Namibia from the 1950s till the early 1990s, is the main topic of this breath-taking museum located in Johannesburg. Featuring 21 permanent sections of its exhibition depicting the country’s journey from start to finish of the apartheid process, the museum also offers a myriad of temporary and art exhibitions. 

If you come as a group, be prepared to experience segregation first-hand. Admission tickets are randomly given white/non-white marks which take you to the respective entrances, meaning you will most certainly be split from your group for a while.

Located just a 5-minute walk from the museum, tourists can find the famous Gold Reef City, a complex featuring an extensive theme park and casino built on top of a gold mine. Combine many luring casino locations like this one with the living standard of a large portion of the nation, and it’s of little wonder that many South Africans are currently struggling with another dark topic – gambling addiction.

Although it’s evident that old problems are usually only replaced with new ones – a concept not exclusive to South Africa – the Apartheid Museum is an essential stop for every dark tourist fan out there.

Constitution Hill (Johannesburg)

The second former prison on our list, Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, offers an immersive museum depicting the hard South African path to democracy. Becoming a military fort three years after its establishment in 1983, the prison was the home of many political prisoners and treason activists, including Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who was transferred to Pretoria Prison shortly after his admission.

Featuring a women’s jail pavilion, the prison was famous for its inhuman conditions, prisoner overcrowding, and disease outbreaks because of poor sanitary conditions back in the 1950s. The prison was closed nearly after one hundred years after its establishment and became a seat for the Constitutional Court of South Africa 20 years later mainly because of its historical and symbolic importance.

Soweto (Johannesburg)

This township belonging to Johannesburg offers a lot of historical insights and is a great addition to your Apartheid Museum trip. Built as a complex of small brick houses for black people, thus completely cutting them off from the white ones, Soweto is one of the clearest examples of segregation in South Africa. It was also the home of Nelson Mandela, now a heritage site, who moved in with his first wife. 

Hand in hand with Mandela and the topic of apartheid goes the Soweto Uprising in 1976, a protest during which South African students fought against the new regulations of having to study in Afrikaans instead of English, a step to further segregate black people and make their education even harder. 

Apart from Mandela’s house, which can be visited from the inside, the same street was the home of another Nobel prize personality, Desmond Tutu. Although his house is not open to the public, Nelson Mandela’s house offers many interesting insights into the life of the inspirational figure and even still features bullet holes and Molotov cocktail marks on the walls.