Dr Xuma house, Historic residence in Sophiatown, South Africa.

Dr Xuma house is a single-storey dwelling in Sophiatown built of red brick in stretcher bond up to window level, with a plastered section above and a corrugated tin roof. Its front elevation has curved bay windows and an arched entrance flanked by plain columns, and a bracketed lean-to canopy runs the full width of the front, covering the bays. The L-shaped plan gave one wing to the family's residence and the other to Xuma's medical consulting rooms facing Edward Road.

Construction of the house was completed in 1935, and it was named Empilweni, meaning "the place of life". It was the home of Dr Alfred Bitini Xuma, a medical doctor and President of the African National Congress, and his second wife Madie Hall Xuma. Xuma had vacated the property by 1957 after Sophiatown was declared a White area under the Native Resettlement Act of 1954. The house was one of only two in Sophiatown retained after the removal of Black tenants and owners.

The house served as both a healing space and a center for resistance to racial injustice. Visitors can see the rooms where medical care was provided alongside organizing efforts for equality and dignity.

The building is located on Toby Street in Sophiatown and now operates as the Sophiatown Heritage and Cultural Centre. Visitors can explore the interior and surrounding area throughout the year to learn about the neighborhood's past.

The house was named Empilweni, roughly "the place of life", and its L-shaped plan let one wing serve as Xuma's medical consulting rooms facing Edward Road while the other remained the family residence. Writer Bloke Modisane recalled it as a palatial home with two garages among Sophiatown's modest buildings.