History of the Prison

The old Pietermaritzburg jail was a medium security institution which housed a maximum of 1800 inmates. A small number of these were maximum security or political prisoners but the majority were awaiting trial.

The original cell block, now a National Monument, was built in 1862 replacing the Voortrekker prison on Market Square. The cell block is built from a combination of redbrick and sandstone, unusual at such an early period in Pietermaritzburg. It is one of the oldest surviving government buildings in the city, with several architectural features that mark it as the forerunner of such buildings.

The building housed both male and female prisoners and probably included a death row, as there were gallows attached to the outside of the window over the front door. The metal bracket can still be seen above the door. A number of prominent historical figures were inmates here, including King Dinizulu (1907-1909), and prisoners from the Inniskilling Fusiliers' mutiny at Fort Napier in 1887.

In October 1991, the old prison site was handed over to a group of churches in the city, working together under the name of Project Gateway. The vision of this project was to uplift and empower local people and their communities. Early activities included an emergency relief feeding programme for the Foxhill community, sewing training and adult literacy.

The old prison site has gradually been renovated as funding has allowed:

• Many of the old cells have been converted into offices, training rooms, emergency accommodation, and workshops.

• The prison workshops where prisoners worked in teams to make shoes and garden implements and mend clothes, became workshop areas for Woodwork and Metalwork, and now houses the Gateway School of Fashion.

• The old prison hospital now houses the workshops used by 'Fab Designs' for fabric painting.

• The area catering for our international teams of volunteers was the relatively small white, male section of the prison.

• The two-storey building where Gateway's reception and administration offices are now located was built in 1934. It was formerly used for solitary confinement and dietary punishment. It also housed the gallows and the death row cells.