Former Robben Island prisoners are bitter at not being consulted about its development, reports Rehana Rossouw
FORMER Robben Island prisoners have slammed their leadership for excluding them from plans to transform the island into a monument celebrating the struggle against apartheid. They claim promises that they would benefit from the island’s development have not been kept, and that senior positions on the project have been earmarked for white professionals.
The island is to be developed as a world heritage site, national monument and museum, with the section where political prisoners were held to be converted into a Museum of the Freedom Struggle in South Africa.
The plans, approved by the Cabinet in September, include incorporating the University of the Western Cape’s Mayibuye Centre into the project.
The Department of Correctional Services will hand over authority of the island on Wednesday to the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology. The plans follow work spearheaded by presidential advisor Ahmed Kathrada, who was instructed by the Cabinet in August 1995 to establish the Future of Robben Island Committee.
His final proposal, drawn up after he had invited public submissions, says the “special history of Robben Island will be taken into account during the planning and development process … via the inclusion of ex-political prisoners … through arrangements which can contribute to the socio-economic upliftment of ex-prisoners”.
But former prisoners say they have been excluded from the process. None have been offered any of the 177 new jobs created by the redevelopment, which will include a chief director earning R26000 a month.
Western Cape co-ordinator of the Ex- Political Prisoners Committee, Zolile Ndindwa, said many former prisoners felt bitter and marginalised. The committee was formed in April 1995 to look after ex- prisoners’ welfare and is chaired by Kathrada. Other committee members include Tokyo Sexwale, Terror Lekota and Jeff Radebe.
“We were never involved in a representative capacity on the Future of Robben Island Committee. Now its proposals are being presented to us as a fait accompli,” he said.
“Prisoners did not make submissions to them, because many did not have the capacity to do so, and expected their organisation to call them together, hear their views and represent them.”
Ndindwa said he was contacted by Mayibuye Centre director Andre Odendaal last week to help find former prisoners to fill the new positions on Robben Island. He did not contact any, as he has not seen the final proposal for the island, and does not know what positions are available.
“Odendaal seems to be in a hurry, there seems to be a deadline. I don’t know when it is. I haven’t seen any advertisements for positions. All I know is ex-prisoners complain to me constantly, and I feel their pain.
“Some are starving and very bitter, and their bitterness rubs off on me as well. They feel abandoned by their leaders.”
Former Robben Island inmate Zanile Mazantsan said he did not think there had been any meetings in the past year for ex-political prisoners to discuss the island’s development.
“I’m very hurt, even though I am employed and better off than most ex-political prisoners. Even unskilled ex-prisoners could have been involved in some small way,” he said.
Mazantsana said he had hoped to get involved marketing Robben Island memorabilia, and had brought together a group of ex-political prisoners to form a company. He is also involved in a consortium which is bidding for two radio licences for ex-political prisoners.
“But then I heard a business owned by whites has a contract to market memorabilia. Why were skilled ex-prisoners not given an opportunity to tender? Who agreed they should do it? There is absolutely no communication with ex-prisoners who toiled on Robben Island.
“Why are only white professionals being earmarked for positions in the Robben Island project? I know of at least three ex- prisoners who have MBAs and are fully capable of getting involved in some way or another.
“Eventually ex-prisoners will not tolerate people who do not have their welfare at heart. It will be very interesting to find out who is involved finally in Robben Island, who is going to benefit financially. We will force them to step down.”
Kathrada said “hurried decisions” had to be taken to ensure continuity because the Department of Correctional Services was quitting the island by the end of the year. The positions were being filled as a temporary measure until permanent posts were advertised next year. “In all fairness to ex-prisoners, I want to confess that I have not been in touch with them. But we have a list of their names now and steps are being taken to hold provincial meetings and report on our plans for the future.”
Future of Robben Island Committee member and former Robben Island inmate Eddie Daniels said the committee had not met for some time as Kathrada was overseas, but he was confident it had the welfare of ex-prisoners at heart. “There are a lot of people who believe Robben Island belongs to them. It doesn’t, it belongs to the struggle. The people on Robben Island were only the black men who were caught,” he said.
“What about the white men and women, the black women, the people in exile and those who weren’t caught? Doesn’t Robben Island belong to them as well?” Daniels said.
He said the Ex-Prisoners Committee was supposed to deal with pensions, rather than representing ex-prisoners on the Robben Island Committee. “Most of the people on the committee are premiers and cabinet members. How are they supposed to meet regularly?”