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Constitution Hill: Great African Steps

One of the most moving features of the site is the Great African Steps, a walkway that runs between the dark, stone walls of the Number Four prison and the transparent glass of the new court. It represents the “bridge” between the old South Africa and the new. At the top of these steps, tucked into one of the four remaining stairwells of the demolished Awaiting Trial Block, burns the Flame of Democracy. Lit by Nelson Mandela in 2011 to mark the 15th anniversary of the Constitution, this perpetual flame serves as a constant reminder that the light of freedom must never again be extinguished in Johannesburg.