Robben Island Museum (RIM) chief executive, Sibongiseni Mkhize, last week announced plans to restructure the island’s management in a bid to improve the situation. He has called for private-sector proposals to facilitate the process.
Francoise Armour of Tours du Cap welcomes the possibility of private-sector involvement in an overhaul of the management of RIM. She said it was “wonderful to see action and various parties speaking up and getting involved” in the future of the island, which “needed all the help it could get”. RIM has long been criticised for its poor maintenance and declining visitor experience.
CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Enver Duminy, agreed, stating “private interest in the iconic asset was necessary and highly anticipated”.
However, Mkhize’s call has been followed by a statement from the Western Cape’s Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sports, Nomafrench Mbombo, laying responsibility for the island’s problems at the door of national government. Mbombo said she would be requesting an urgent meeting with the Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, to discuss a turnaround strategy.
“While we welcome the possibility of a public-private partnership in this regard, we believe the solid proposals we have could go a long way in providing much-needed solutions to the dire state of Robben Island,” she said.
“The Western Cape government has repeatedly called on national government to relinquish some of the management rights and responsibilities to the provincial government, along with its budget, for better and effective running of the museum.”
Mbombo’s suggestions include making the RIM financial audits public for effective accountability, privatising the ferry system, creating economic opportunities for some of the island’s former prisoners and investigating new opportunities to grow its international appeal.
She said the fact that the museum was at risk of losing its World Heritage status was an indictment of national government, and it was the responsibility of all spheres of government to restore Robben Island to its former glory.
Asked whether Cape Town Tourism could not play a closer role in assisting RIM in achieving a better tourist experience, Duminy said: “We believe that the team there have been working hard to find solutions to the challenges they face, and that Robben Island is making all possible preparations to be ready for the coming season. Amongst other developments, significant improvements have been made towards maintenance, new exhibitions have been installed and a new, more informative website launched.
“Cape Town Tourism’s role in the tourism value chain is one of connector, and in this instance we connect RIM to visitors and the larger tourism industry within our destination by succinctly communicating details re their closures or capacity issues. This helps ensure that expectations and plans regarding visits to the Island are managed and that the visitor experience is not marred by lack of information.”
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