By Nangamso Mabindla
14 January 2005

THE LOCK Street Gaol Business Complex in Fleet Street, East London, is a hive of activity and the place every local wants to visit. But it's not always been that way.

Originally built in 1880, Lock Street Gaol was South Africa's first women's gaol. Inmates have included Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and notorious murderer Daisy de Melker.

The gaol was built to ease the overcrowding of the prison on the town's West Bank. "Apparently the one on the West Bank was getting overcrowded and some reports say it was poorly built," says the East London Museum's senior librarian, Rachel Williams.

It was an impressive construction, undertaken by local builder James Tyrrell under direction from the then public works department. "Stones from excavations in the harbour were hauled to the site and bricks from three local brick makers were also used," adds Williams.

The original buildings, according to Williams, were made up of the officer's quarters and the administrative block, a hospital, a kitchen and two single-storey cell blocks.

"In a report given by the Cape of Good Hope committee on convicts and gaols, the Lock Street Gaol was seen as the best constructed prison," Williams adds.

It's hospital section and the prison's flower garden were also considered the best in the country.

The cells were capable of accommodating up to a 100 prisoners, says Williams, but initially only held 11 prisoners. "The prison grew from having 11 prisoners to a whopping 108 male and 36 female prisoners," says Williams. Additional cells were built to accommodate the growing number.

Then, in 1950, all male prisoners were transferred to Fort Glamorgan on the West Bank and the prison was converted to an all female prison.

Two inmates were anti-apartheid stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and murderer Daisy de Melker, held in East London before being moved to Johannesburg where she was tried and convicted of poisoning two husbands and a son.

After serving the city for 100 years, the curtain finally fell gaol in 1980.

Since then the Small Business Development Corporation has developed the buildings into premises for small offices, shops and manufacturing premises.

"It is now one of the attractions in the Quigney area," says Willliams. "Tourists come to view the old buildings and are especially impressed to know that, for a while, Winnie-Madikizela Mandela was held there."