Sol Plaatje's Kimberley

Kimberley is not only a story of diamonds. It was also the home of Solomon Tshekisho "Sol" Plaatje, one of South Africa's most important early intellectuals, and the city carries his legacy proudly. The local municipality itself is named Sol Plaatje in his honour.

Who was Sol Plaatje?

Born in 1876, Sol Plaatje was a writer, journalist, translator and political leader. He spoke several languages, translated Shakespeare into Setswana, wrote the landmark novel Mhudi, and was a founding member and first General Secretary of the South African Native National Congress: the organisation that later became the African National Congress. His book Native Life in South Africa remains a defining account of the early 20th century.

The Sol Plaatje Museum

The house where Plaatje lived and worked in Kimberley is now a museum dedicated to his life and writing. It is a modest but moving site that tells the story of South Africa's early civil-rights movement and the city's central role in it: a meaningful counterpoint to the diamond-rush history of the Big Hole and the McGregor Museum.

A fuller picture of Kimberley

For visitors interested in heritage and cultural tourism, pairing the Sol Plaatje Museum with the city's mining and architectural history gives a far richer sense of Kimberley than diamonds alone. Milner House makes a comfortable and central base for exploring all of it.