Complaints have poured in from tour operators who say Robben Island is being mismanaged. Unsafe boats, unprofessional tour guides and services no longer available are some of the issues that are leading tour operators to the point of dissuading their customers from taking the tour. Robben Island Museum has also said that it will not meet the April deadline for the new ferry it sought to acquire.
Gill Maskell from Africa 2000 Tours, told Tourism Update: “We are totally unhappy with the boats they are using to replace the Sikihululekile ferry. Our last three groups were two hours later than expected back from the trip, due to the boat being so slow. This then affected the rest of the activities for the day. I also worry about the safety of these various vessels.”
The Sikihululekile ferry is in the process of being disposed of after a shallow rock in the harbour damaged the propulsion system. In its place, the tour is being operated by vessels such as the Susan Kruger and Dias, as well as other chartered boats.
“Boats being used are smaller than Sikihululekile, so the last trip of the day back to the mainland has to include all island staff who don’t live there, which means sometimes paying passengers have to wait for another boat,” said Francoise Armour of Tours du Cap.
Quinton Mtyala, PR and Communications Manager at Robben Island Museum (RIM) responded to the complaints: “Robben Island Museum visitors are given priority when it comes to the last return trip to the mainland; in essence no visitor should be stranded.” Commenting on safety, Mtyala added: “The boats are safe and adhere to stringent SA Maritime Safety Authority regulations. Since the museum opened in 1996 there have not been any incidents with any of our three vessels currently in service.”
Mtyala previously told Tourism Update that RIM would acquire a new ferry by the start of the new financial year in April 2015. However, it now seems that RIM will not meet this date. “It is taking longer than anticipated, due to the stringent regulations and processes involved in the marine environment. We will not acquire the vessel before April,” he said.
According to an article in the Cape Times, the Susan Kruger experienced difficulties with its radar while transporting visitors to the island on the morning of Monday, January 5, causing the boat to come to a standstill halfway through its journey. However, the skipper has since been accused of not knowing his way to the island, as reported by Cape Argus.
Armour further added: “The movie on Sikihululekile was an added value that is no longer available. But the fare is still the same.”
Commenting on the unprofessionalism of the guides, Armour said: “The boat crews are now harassing people for tips with a tin waved under passengers’ noses. The tour is the same as ever, rushed and with prison guides impossible for foreigners to understand. One of them is positively theatrical; some have even fabricated incidents supposed to have taken place during prison time.”
Allan Theron of Western Cape Tours said management tended to ignore complaints. “But as they just make excuses and pass the blame on to someone else, we will carry on complaining. I would say there is serious mismanagement of the island.” Mtyala did not respond to complaints of mismanagement.
James Vos, DA Shadow Minister of Tourism, released a statement in December that said: “The problems at the Robben Island Museum have already had a measurable impact on the popularity of the venue in recent years. According to the Robben Island Museum’s annual report, revenue from tour sales decreased by R1.3 million in the 2012/13 financial year. Furthermore, visitors to Robben Island had declined by 5% in December 2013 compared with December 2012. Statistics are not yet available for 2014.”