Apartheid Museum

The Apartheid Museum is a museum complex in Johannesburg, South Africa dedicated to illustrating apartheid and the 20th century history of South Africa. The complex, owned by Gold Reef City Casino, was opened in November 2001.

History

After the legalisation of gambling in South Africa post-1994, the government established the Gambling Board with the purpose of granting casino licenses. As a part of any bid to construct a casino in the country, developers are required to demonstrate how their prospective casino would attract tourism and stimulate the creation of jobs.

A consortium known as Akani eGoli put in a bid to construct the Gold Reef City Casino, as well as an adjacent museum complex called Freedom Park. The bid was successful and space was created for the complex next to Gold Reef City Casino. The name of "Freedom Park" was later changed "The Apartheid Museum at Freedom Park", leading to the name controversy and legal action. The construction costs of the Apartheid Museum amounted to around R80 million, paid for by Akani eGoli.