South African government buys Oliver Tambo's Muswell Hill home (From Haringey Independent)

South African government buys Oliver Tambo's Muswell Hill home

10:45am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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THE South African government has bought anti-apartheid leader Oliver Tambo's former home in Muswell Hill.

Mr Tambo, once leader of the ANC, lived in the three-storey Edwardian property in Winderemere Road, between 1960 and 1990 with his family while in exile.

It was also the venue for many ANC meetings and when Nelson Mandela was release from prison, he visited the Tambo's at their Muswell Home.

It has now been sold to the South African Government for almost £1.7million and could be used for accommodation by a senior South African diplomat.

President Jacob Zuma visited the house during his three-day state visit in Britain earlier this month and celebrated Muswell Hill for its close ties with the country and for the refuge it provided during the struggle to end apartheid.

Mr Tambo's son, Dali Tambo, said: "A large portion of our lives were spent in Muswell Hill. I get a special feeling when I return here, it really was a home."