Overview According to the Joubert Park Project Initiative publication on the Drill Hall, the site has a long history dating back to 1904 when it first opened its doors as the Headquarters for Regiment of Transvaal Volunteers. These volunteers were positioned to suppress further Boer uprising (following the Anglo-Boer South African War 1899-1902) and maintain order in the rapidly growing “City of Gold”.

Drill Hall continued to be an important historical site, as the site of the mobilisation of volunteers from the Transvaal who went to the aid of the Natal colonial troops in quelling the Bambatha Rebellion of 1906 and housed regiments responsible for suppressing the miners' strikes of 1922. Troops gathered at the hall on their way to fight in the first and second world wars. Drill Hall regiments also played a key role in the battle of El Alamein in Egypt in 1942.

In 1956 the Drill Hall became the site of one of the longest and most important trials of the twentieth century, the Treason Trial. 156 Congress Alliance leaders, many of whom played key roles in the formulation of the Freedom Charter were arrested based on the state’s argument that the Freedom Charter reflected an intention to violently overthrow the state.

After nearly being destroyed by a fire in April 2002, the Drill Hall was refurbished in 2006/7 by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), funded by the City of Johannesburg.

Since then the Drill Hall has played a key role as a community and arts facility in the Joubert Park Precinct. Committed organisations utilize the facility for multiple activities and even host a small library for Inner City Residents. However there are under-utilised portions at Drill Hall and further resources are required to ensure its ongoing sustainability and maintenance. As such the JDA, in partnership with the Department of Community Development (Arts, Culture and Heritage), Johannesburg Property Company and the Inner City Office seek innovative solutions for the optimization and long term sustainability of the facility. 

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