When you feel settled in your place of accommodation in Pretoria, make sure to go to Pretoria’s Church Square to see one of Pretoria’s most elegant historical buildings. It is the Palace of Justice, on the northwest side of the Square. The building was built on the same site where the first house of Commander General Marthinus Wessel Pretorius stood earlier. The cornerstone of the Palace of Justice was officially laid on 8 June 1879, by the then State President, Paul Kruger.
The majestic building was designed in 1895 by the Dutch architect Sytze Wierda in typical Italian Renaissance style. Just before Wierda came to South Africa, he was nominated as a member of the Royal Institute of Engineers in the Netherlands, on 8 November 1887. He arrived in South Africa in late November 1887, and without delay President Kruger appointed him to the two posts of Chief Engineer and Architect to the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR).
A prominent builder of that time, John Munro, laid the first stones of the building in 1896. The sandstone from Pretoria was found inappropriate, upon which sandstone had to be imported from Scotland and Germany. The sandstone was chiselled by hand to construct this impressive building. The construction period was from 1896 to 1899.
The outbreak of the Anglo Boer war in 1899 however halted the construction of the building and it was turned into a hospital for British soldiers. It became known as the “Irish Hospital”. At the end of the Anglo Boer war in 1902, the building could finally be completed and used for its original purpose.
The Palace cost around 115260 British pound, of which a large amount was spent on the elegant pillars, balcony rail, and glass dome in the lofty entrance hall.
Several high profile cases were held here, including the well known Rivonia trial of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners in 1964. It was during this trial that Nelson Mandela was sent to life imprisonment.
Today the building is the headquarters of the Gauteng Provincial Division of the Supreme Court. It is used to hear high-profile criminal cases. The building houses numerous offices, meeting rooms, libraries, holding cells and three criminal courts.
The tower of this building is approximately twelve metres high and consists of a sink dome, supported by sandstone arches above four plastered brick pillars. The walls show off interesting balustrades of hand carved sandstone. The black and red floor tiles and the giant chandelier round off the grandiose interior.
Between 1993 and 2002, the building underwent massive restoration work, which cost around 40 million Rand. The entire interior was renovated, except for the holding cells underground where Nelson Mandela was kept during the trial. On the walls in the cell, one can still read some of the old messages left by the prisoners who were part of the Rivonia Trial. Messages by other political prisoners can also be seen on the walls.
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