Robben Island

 

Robben Island was the Prison for Nelson Mandela for 18 years. The Island sits off the coast of Cape Town and has been part of Cape Towns Colonial history since the 15th Century. It was named by the Dutch, who observed the seals living there and named the island after them - Dutch word for seals (robben), hence the Dutch/Afrikaans name Robbeneiland, which translates to Seal(s) Island. The last prisoners left the island in 1996, followed by the island being declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. 

Our trip started at 9am by taking the tour ferry over. You need to book in advance due to demand. Every seat on the boat was full. The tour runs every two hours, so this is popular tourist site. On arrival you are escorted onto a bus tour around the island. Over the last 500 years the island has been a prison multiple times, used as a leper exclusion island and a fort during the Second World War. There are various signs of its history, but the most obvious is the remans of the prison and the builds home to the guards, surrounded by the signs of their day to day life - decaying tennis courts, over grown rugby pitches and sport club. 

A quarry where the political prisoners who were made to smash rocks for 8 hours a day lays dormant. This is a clear reminder of the brutality of their imprisonment and the tactics used to break them. This only stopped less than 35 years ago. 

The bus tour finishes at the political prision. The last political prisoners left in 1991 and only the criminal prisoners remained, before finally closing in 1996. Arriving at the prison, an ex political prisoner becomes our guide for our final tour. Our guide was imprisoned in 1983, just after Mandela was transferred to the mainland. He served his sentance until 1990. There was no early release or parole, they had to serve their time. Conditions were tough and anyone found discussing politics could end up in solitoary confinment with minimal food. Human rights had not made it to this prison. 

 

It was a moving tour. The problems South Africa face have not gone away, their economy is strugging for many complex reasons. But as you walk around Cape Town you can see how times have changed. The restaurants are multi-cultural and people from all races sit together, so progress is being made, but their issue are not going to be solved quickly. 

But if you are looking for a great restaurant, this is the place to visit.