Robben Island

 

Robben Island (Dutch for Seal Island), is 6.9 kilometers from Capetown and has been used to isolate mainly political prisoners since the end of the 17th century. Political leaders from other Dutch colonies and the leader of a mutiny on a slave ship were early inhabitants. In the mid 1800's, lepers were moved to the island, first on a voluntary basis but later were not permitted to leave based on the Leper Repression Act passed in 1892.

 

In addition to the prison buildings, the island has a village where formerly those associated with the prison lived; now, it is home to some of those working at the Robben Island Museum.

Moturu Kramat commemorates Sayed Abdurahman Moturu, the Prince of Moture and one of Capetown's first imams who was exiled to the island in 1754.

The prison complex where political prisoners were kept in maximum security. The leaders were housed in Section B, isolated from the other political prisoners.

The cemetery where people with leprosy who died on the island were buried.

The limestone quarry, where prisoners from Section B, were forced to do hard labour. The stone cairn to the left of the blue sign was created by former prisoners during a reunion of ex political prisoners in 1995. Led by Nelson Mandela who picked up and deposited the first rock, it commemorates the daily life and hard work of their imprisonment, and honors those who have died.

The Robert Sobukwe House, where the founder of the Pan African Congress, was interned in isolation after serving his sentence. In 1960, he led a protest against the "pass" laws which required all black South Africans to carry a pass book at all times. This was the same day as the protest in Sharpeville where 69 people were killed in what is known as the Sharpeville Massacre. It was after those events that the African National Congress changed its policy of fighting apartheid only through non-violent means. The South African Parliament passed the General Law Amendment Act which allowed Sobukwe's imprisonment to be renewed annually by the Minister of Justice. He was finally released in 1969, but only to house arrest.

"The journey is never long when freedom is the destination."

Dumisani Mwandla was our tour guide. He was arrested for terrorism in 1989 and received a life sentence in 1986; after serving 5-1/2 years, he was in the second to last group of political prisoners to be freed in 1991. He was able to give a detailed account of daily life in the prison and a very funny story about when Mandela came back to the prison in 1991 to order them to stop their hunger strike. Mandela had been released in 1990, and the rest of the political prisoners were expecting to be released shortly thereafter. As time dragged on and they were still in prison more than a year later, they began a hunger strike to call attention to their plight. Dumisani recalled that Mandela did not like that they resisted his order, and when they all met later at a reunion in his house, he remembered who had given him a hard time during that meeting. His story showed a lot of affection for Mandela and acknowledgement of his leadership qualities.

Before the International Red Cross intervened, the mat below was what prisoners had to sleep on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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