The mystery surrounding the City of Johannesburg’s historic mayoral chains and the Freedom Regiments sword has been partially resolved after opposition councillors were recently allowed to inspect some of the artefacts during an oversight visit to a bank vault.
DA councillor Bongani Nkwanyana, a member of the community development committee who has been active in the oversight of city artefacts, said councillors were recently taken by officials to view some of the mayoral chains after months of questions in the council.
“We were shown four chains, confirming that at least some of the artefacts are being stored securely. However, the visit did not clarify the fate of the four remaining chains. While we are satisfied that some of the chains are being kept safely, questions do remain about the others,” Nkwanyana said.
The issue became politically contentious after the DA repeatedly demanded clarity on the location and safeguarding of historic civic artefacts after the closure of the Metro Centre building, saying they had received “confusing, misleading and contradictory information” from city officials.
Johannesburg accumulated several mayoral chains over time as surrounding municipalities were incorporated into the metro. These include chains associated with former municipal areas such as Johannesburg, Soweto, Sandton, Roodepoort, Midrand, Randburg, Lenasia and Ennerdale.
Many of the chains are crafted from gold and decorated with the city’s coat of arms, making them both historically significant and valuable ceremonial objects
Traditionally worn by the mayor during official ceremonies, the mayoral chain is one of the most recognisable symbols of civic authority. Many of the chains are crafted from gold and decorated with the city’s coat of arms, making them both historically significant and valuable ceremonial objects.
The controversy over the chains also drew attention to another historic artefact once displayed inside the Metro Centre — the Freedom Regiments sword.
The ceremonial sword hung for decades in the foyer outside the mayoral chambers at the city’s civic headquarters and had become the subject of speculation after it was removed from the building. But representatives of the military regiments linked to the artefact say the sword is safe.
According to Lt-Col (Ret) Harry van Staden of the Johannesburg Regiment Association, the sword was removed in July 2024 after the Metro Centre — once the heart of Johannesburg’s municipal government — was declared unsafe and council operations relocated.
“The sword has not gone missing,” Van Staden said. “It is safe and will soon be placed in a proper heritage environment where it can be viewed by the public.”
He said the artefact does not belong to the city. “The sword belongs to the Freedom Regiments Association, the association which commissioned it and paid for it. The city simply provided the space where it could be displayed.”
Members of the Johannesburg Regiment Association raised concerns about the safety of the sword after attending a parade at the building in April 2024 and noting the deteriorating condition of the premises.
The Freedom Regiments Association subsequently authorised the removal of the artefact for safekeeping.
It is now expected to become part of a permanent display at the Ditsong National Museum of Military History in Saxonwold. The artefact was transferred from storage to the museum’s armoury last week for cleaning and preparation. It will then be mounted in a new Regiments Room scheduled to open officially on May 24.
There have been rumours that the sword is made of gold, which is simply not correct. The blade is stainless steel mounted on a brushed stainless-steel backing plate. It was produced as a ceremonial display piece for the city’s centenary celebrations, and its significance lies in its history rather than its material value
— Lt-Col (Ret) Harry van Staden
“We felt it deserved a place where it could be properly appreciated,” Van Staden said.
The Freedom Regiments sword was originally commissioned in 1986 during Johannesburg’s centenary celebrations, when several reserve force units exercised their freedom of the city of Johannesburg during a ceremonial parade.
Under this centuries-old civic tradition, military units granted the honour may march through a city with bayonets fixed, colours flying and bands playing.
The sword was created as a symbolic tribute to that relationship and installed in the Metro Centre, where it remained on display for nearly four decades.
Van Staden also dismissed speculation about the sword’s material value.
“There have been rumours that the sword is made of gold, which is simply not correct,” he said. “The blade is stainless steel mounted on a brushed stainless-steel backing plate. It was produced as a ceremonial display piece for the city’s centenary celebrations, and its significance lies in its history rather than its material value.”
The City of Johannesburg did not respond to repeated questions about the total number of mayoral chains or the location of those not shown during the oversight visit.
- This story was produced by Our City News, a nonprofit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg
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