Sixteen former political prisoners in South Africa on Wednesday locked themselves up on Robben Island — where former president Nelson Mandela was once jailed for 18 years — in protest at alleged corruption there, a news report said.
The 16 prisoners locked themselves up in cells to demand the suspension of the two top officials of the island’s tourism body, the independent television station e-tv reported.
Robben Island, 13 kilometres off Cape Town, was once a jail for political prisoners and is now a popular tourist attraction.
The protesters started a hunger strike which they intend to continue until Robben Island Museum director Andre Odendaal and his deputy, accused of managing fictitious companies, are suspended, e-tv said.
But the island’s management body — a 14-member council including 10 former prisoners — refuted the claims of corruption on Wednesday. – AFP
