Walter Sisulu Square to get a R20-million makeover 

11-02-2015
 

The City of Johannesburg is to revamp the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown, Soweto – the site of the adoption of the Freedom Charter by the Congress of the People on 26 June 1955 – three months before the 60th anniversary of the historic gathering.

 

The Johannesburg Development Agency – the City’s infrastructure development entity – will upgrade the square at a cost of R20-million.

 

The refurbishment is scheduled to start at the end of February and is expected to be completed in time for the 60th anniversary celebrations of the adoption of the charter.

 

According to JDA’s Development Managerchief executive, Thanduxolo MendrewJocelyn Davids, the refurbishment is aimed at boosting investor and community confidence in the area.

 

She said the move would turn the square into an “attractive place of work and leisure” for residents, tourists, street vendors, office workers and shopkeepers.

 

“The concept is to change the character of the square from a hard open space into public gardens. This will involve introducing soft landscaping in the form of trees, grass and flowerbeds, improved lighting, children’s play areas and public seating,” Davids Mendrew said. 

 

On 26 June 1955, more than 3 000 Congress of the People delegates from all corners of the country gathered on the site in Kliptown to adopt the charter.

 

The site’s architecture reflects various elements of the era, politics and the people.

“It is full of symbolism and meaning and is surrounded by the ‘actual’ people who were involved in making history, thus making the rest of Kliptown an ‘echo museum’,” Davids Mendrew said.

 

It is one of four squares in Johannesburg and offers both local and international visitors an array of options – history, shopping, entertainment and accommodation.

The square has since become one of the most frequented places and is ideal for corporate and social events.

 

Walter Sisulu, then Deputy President of the ANC and one of the key figures in the anti-apartheid struggle, was one of the delegates.

 

Former President Nelson Mandela was in hiding at the time running away from the security police. The Freedom Charter remained the cornerstone of the ANC policy and is widely regarded as the foundation of South Africa’s Constitution.

What was little more than a dusty field in 1955 was declared a national heritage site on 26 June 2005, on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter.

 

Former President Thabo Mbeki lit a flame of freedom to mark the opening of the square.

A multimillion rand development project was followed by the construction of an open-air monument and museum along a marketplace, hotel, offices and multipurpose centre.

Davids Mendrew said the new upgrade would make the square more welcoming to residents and visitors, encouraging people to visit the gardens and spend some time in them, “not only as part of their daily lives but also on special occasions”.

 

The site could also be used as a gathering place and venue for concerts and other events, Davids Mendrew explained.