The building was built in 1940 and was designed by Gerard Moerdijk, a South African architect, to be the official residence in Pretoria of the Prime Minister of the time, General Jan Smuts.

The current occupant of Mahlamba Ndlopfu is Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa since February 14, 2018.

[1] Gerard Moerdijk, already known for designing the University of Pretoria and the Voortrekker Monument, convinced the jury appointed by the Department of Public Works.

Moerdijk decided to adopt the Cape Dutch style, a type of traditional house common among Boer and Afrikaans descendants in South Africa.

On 31 May 1961, the Union officially became the Republic of South Africa, following a referendum organised by Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd the previous year.

In September 1983, Libertas experienced a great change with the adoption of the new South African constitution during the mandate of Prime Minister P.W.

Since May 1994, Mahlamba Ndlopfu has been a symbol of African empowerment in South Africa, and all the Presidents elected since Mandela have come from the black community.

[7] The site and its gardens are subject to daily maintenance and constant renovation in order to place the President and his government in the best possible conditions.

He was passionate about architecture, especially the Renaissance,[8] so, after his studies in Pretoria, he went to France (École des Beaux Arts) and Italy (British School of Archeology, Rome).

In order to realise Libertas, Gerard Moerdijk won a competition organised by the Public Works Department and Prime Minister Jan Smuts.

Libertas was built in the atypical style of Gerard Moerdijk, mixing classical European architecture with colonial and African influences.

The security system is made of 202 surveillance cameras, 4 massive gatehouses and 8.1km of anti-climb motion detection fences which were built in 2007.

In 1994, when Nelson Mandela became President of the Republic of South Africa, an important inauguration ceremony was organised at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

He decided to invite his political friends from all around the world such as Fidel Castro (Cuban leader) or Al Gore (US Vice-President).