Chancellor House

Chancellor House may refer to:

Chancellor House (company)

Chancellor House is a South African group of companies active in the mining, engineering, energy and information technology sectors. It is named after Chancellor House, the building where the law firm of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo was located.

After initially being exposed as a surreptitious funding front for the African National Congress it was subsequently acknowledged as an in-house investment firm for the party. It is best known for the controversy surrounding the award to it of lucrative black economic empowerment and parastatal contracts.

History

The existence of the company was first brought to light by the Mail & Guardian newspaper in a 2006 article. That article alleged that the company had been formed in 2003 on the initiative of Mendi Msimang, then treasurer-general of the ANC, with the explicit intention of raising funds for the party.

Prior to the newspaper report the company was virtually unknown; Kgalema Motlanthe, then secretary general of the party, reportedly first learned of it when contacted by the newspaper for comment.

Chancellor House (building)

Coordinates: 26°12′24″S 28°02′04″E / 26.2066°S 28.0345°E / -26.2066; 28.0345

Chancellor House is a building situated at 25 Fox Street, Ferreirasdorp, Johannesburg, that once housed the law firm of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo. It is a national heritage site.

The building was due to be bought by the Johannesburg Heritage Trust in 2004 and developed into a tourist destination, with R300 000 earmarked for the construction of a visitor center.

As of 2008, however, no purchase had been consummated and the building reportedly continued to fall into ruin.

Full restoration of the building was completed in May, 2011.

References