WIP · World in Pocket

plaque № 12386

Johannesburg, South Africa

The Central Pass Office was an infamous checkpoint of the influx control system under apartheid. The "Dompas" which controlled the movement of African people was issued here. Denied a place in the city, many were ordered to leave Johannesburg. This building opened in 1954 as the Non-European Affairs

Department and was greatly enlarged in the 1960s. Converted into a women's hostel in 1994, it was renamed Usindiso Women's shelter.

Listen to the audio guide for plaque № 12386 Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off