Located just under seven kilometers from Cape Town’s Waterfront, Robben Island is known worldwide for being one of South Africa’s most important historical landmarks. Robben Island is home to the maximum-security prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of the 27 years he spent in prison during Apartheid. On Monday January 12th, SASA ’15 had the incredible opportunity to tour Robben Island and learn about its rich history from our tour guide, who was a Robben Island prisoner for 5 years from 1981-1986. Later in the day we also had the opportunity to meet James Matthews, author of Poems From a Prison Cell. It was easy to see how this island has become such an iconic location for both South Africans and for people around the world. There is even much to learn about the island beyond the maximum-security prison. There are also other landmarks, such as the Leper Graveyard, and the pile of stones started by Nelson Mandela in the Prisoner reunion that took place in 1995. Overall, it was a very inspiring and memorable day as I reflect on my time in Cape Town. This being said – there are several issues related to the management and operation of the tourism at this island that need to be addressed.
Being in the Zulu Tribe for this SASA ’15 journey, I have done my best to keep an eye out for the health and safety related issues that we encounter throughout this journey. On January 9th, while preparing for the Zulu news briefing, I encountered an article in the Cape Times regarding the safety of the ferries used to transport visitors across Table Bay to Robben Island. The title of the article was “Rocks ruin R26m Robben Island Ferry”. The article stated that an underwater survey of the harbor at Robben Island has revealed an outcrop of rocks which has been the cause of repeated damage to the Sikhululekile Ferry – a R26 million tourist ferry that has been out of commission for over a year now. It was also stated “It appears the previous Robben Island Museum management did not known about the rocky outcrops in Robben Island’s Murray’s Bay harbor, and so failed to specify that the ferry it commissioned should have a shallow draught”. I found this article extremely odd, as it showcased a large amount of confusion surrounding the issues of a ferry that was launched in 2008. There were however no issues with the other two ferries- The Susan Kruger and the Dias. I should have looked further into the issue of Robben Island Ferries.
When SASA ’15 did the tour of Robben Island – we rode on the Susan Kruger. I noted the safety procedures that were explained by the crew. I felt as though they were expansive and I felt very safe on the ferry. Compared to typical US procedures it seemed slightly over the top – there was a long demonstration on how to put on a simple life vest. Well, after further investigation, I understand why. On January 5th, just one week before our trip to Robben Island, the Susan Kruger went missing on a cloudy day when there was a malfunction in the ferry’s radar. The ferry was delayed two hours, with many tourists being unable to tour the island due to tight schedules. The skipper responsible for this incident is now facing a formal investigation into her navigational abilities. It turns out that this incident is now one of a long list over the past few years – including “a ferry getting lost in the fog, and a skipper being so drunk he could barely stand”. Understandably, tourism stakeholders have expressed alarm, as they believe people are being put at risk, and they fear “another Hout Bay Incident to happen.
On January 13th, an article was released entitled “Bad weather, not incompetence, to blame for lost Robben Island ferry”, however, this article was quickly followed on January 14th with the following article “Passenger on board lost Robben Island ferry feared for his safety”. In the latter of the two articles, a passenger stated he felt that “there was no contingency plan and communication was very poor between the crew and the passengers”. Furthermore, he stated that the skipper, Joyce Mtinge did not know where she was, thinking she was North of the island, when in fact she was South-South-West of the island, near the dangerous out crop of rocks.
All of this comes after a late October article in which the Democratic Alliance criticized Robben Island. It was stated in this article that Robben Island is “the one single place in our history that represents South Africa and the world’s memory of Madiba… Robben Island Museum mismanagement is an insult to this memory”. For the safety of tourists and South Africans alike, as well as for the memory of Nelson Mandela, I sincerely hope the mismanagement issues that have plagued this museum for years can be ironed out in the coming years, so that more and more people around the world can visit this place and have the inspirational experiences it can easily facilitate.
References
Cape Times. (2015). http://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/rocks-ruin-r26m-robben-island-ferry-1.1803068#.VLkbyIrF-7A
News24. (2014). http://traveller24.news24.com/News/Robben-Island-mismanagement-is-an-insult-to-Madibas-memory-DA-20140919
News24. (2015). http://traveller24.news24.com/News/Passenger-on-board-lost-Robben-Island-ferry-feared-for-his-safety-20150114
News24. (2015). http://traveller24.news24.com/News/Robben-Island-ferry-gets-lost-20150112
