Drakenstein Correctional Centre, formerly known as Victor Verster Prison, is where Nelson Mandela spent the final years of his imprisonment — from 1988 until his release on 11 February 1990. The prison is still operational and not open to visitors, but a bronze statue of Mandela has been erected at the entrance gates to mark the historic significance of the site.
The statue stands at the precise spot where Mandela walked free, raising his right fist. For anyone interested in South African history and the anti-apartheid struggle, the pilgrimage to this gate is genuinely moving. It is a quiet, unassuming spot on a farm road — no visitors' centre, no gift shop — which somehow makes it more powerful. The surrounding farmland looks exactly as it did in the photographs taken that February day.