According to the government, more attention and funds will be directed towards Robben Island in an effort to revitalise the world heritage site. In the previous fiscal year, R111 million was budgeted for infrastructure maintenance, but that has now been increased to R152 million.
Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa said during a media briefing at the V&A Waterfront earlier this week that ‘Robben Island is the soul of South Africa’s democracy, [and] it’s referred to by many as a university of life for many of our leaders.’
Also read: Future tourism may include an underwater visit to Robben Island, Cape Town
According to News24, an update on the readiness for the Netball World Cup in Cape Town on 28 July coincided with Kodwa’s visit to Robben Island and the subsequent briefing on the condition of the infrastructure at the heritage site.
Kodwa reportedly said that he was ‘quite happy’ with the advancements made in addressing Robben Island’s issues and expressed his hope that many visitors would enjoy the excursion while in town for the sporting event.
The Robben Island Museum, famous for housing anti-apartheid activists during their incarceration, has run into financial difficulties.
As a result of coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the salaries of the island’s staff were cut by half in 2021. Even before the pandemic, the Robben Island Museum began to show signs of deterioration, financial decline and governance issues.
During his statement, Kodwa explained that, while there have been issues on Robben Island, they are beginning to see improvements, both in terms of governance structures and management, but it was also important to see the facility itself and what work needs to be done; thus, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure joined them.
According to Kodwa, the department, represented at the briefing by Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts, will make a series of follow-up visits to the island for infrastructure assessments.
‘We must all put our hands on deck and preserve the island itself because the properties on the island are properties which belong to the government,’ Swarts said.
‘The maintenance of such properties is a key component of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, as we are custodians of the bulk infrastructure rollout,’ added Swarts, who admitted that the island’s infrastructure needed to be better maintained.
The Robben Island Museum’s Annual Performance Plan for 2022 – 2023 recently highlighted these ongoing maintenance issues, stating that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure had failed to maintain the island.
According to News24, Swarts explained that they had budgeted R111 million for the maintenance of Robben Island’s infrastructure in the previous fiscal year, which was then increased to R152 million.
He added that it could change in the current fiscal year because when they do maintenance on any facility, it depends and they also have the climate and environment as factors to keep in consideration.
‘Because Robben Island is near water all the time, that R152 million might change as well,’ he said.
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