On a visit to Robben Island, off Cape Town in South Africa, MARY MOYNIHANdiscovered what it really means to persevere
“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities”
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
DID YOU KNOW that Robben Island takes its name from the Dutch for Seal Island? The mammals have long since departed, their numbers decimated through hunting. Today penguins are more in evidence, patrolling the coast and sometimes the roads.
The ferry for Robben Island departs from the vibrant VA Waterfront, in Cape Town, and the tour lasts three and a half hours. If you only want to see the wildlife on this island you won’t be disappointed, as there’s an abundance of springbok, fallow deer and bontebok, and up to 74 species of birds.
As a journey back in history, however, it is definitely a worthwhile trip. Anyone can read the history of Robben Island from the comfort of their home. A masterpiece such as Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom will give your an understanding of prison life on this historic island. We, however, had the privilege of sitting in a cell listening to a former prisoner regale us with his experiences.
Itumeleng Makwela told us he became a prisoner when he was captured and tortured for being an anti-apartheid activist. Thankfully, he didn’t describe in too much detail the horrors to which he and others were subjected. He was imprisoned on the island from 1983 to 1990.
Once transported from the mainland of South Africa and Namibia, the prisoners were shackled together by hands and feet and endured the rough 10km boat ride to the island. Prison life was cruel and brutal for these black men. They received smaller food rations (with only maize meal instead of bread) than condemned murderers; they had to sleep on a concrete floor in a cell with 40 inmates. Washing was with seawater, and they wore the same light clothes all year round. The island bakes in summer and freezes in winter.
Our former prisoner explained that the men were allocated work in different spans, or teams. He worked on the kitchen team; the most difficult time for him was when the prisoners went on an 18-day hunger strike. He still had to produce the food even though he supported the protest. As a result of the strike the authorities increased the rations and prevented the officers from carrying out sadistic torture on a daily basis.
Other men were not so lucky: the worst work was that of the landbou-span, or agricultural group. They had to carry out the thankless and purposeless work of moving sand from one place to another and back again. They were beaten and sometimes buried up to their chins in their own trenches.
Maybe the team of choice would have been the bougroep, or building group. Breaking stones and working in the lime quarry was back-breaking, but it did have a purpose.
We asked if there had been any opportunity for education in prison. Our guide smiled and asked if we had not heard of Robben University. He went on to tell us that the classroom was based in the lime quarry, as many political prisoners were professionals in their previous lives. The motto there was “each one, teach one”. They wrote in the lime dust, covering it or rubbing it out if challenged by prison officers. Unfortunately, the glare of the white lime in the midday sun and the dust damaged the prisoners’ sight permanently.
Itumeleng then brought us to see the single cell where Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years. He was allocated the prisoner number of 466/64 (being the 466th prisoner in 1964). He was categorised as a group-D inmate (the most troublesome) and was only permitted one visit and one letter every six months.
He was allowed to exercise with the other inmates, which is how he communicated with political allies and wrote his memoirs.
He was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison and released in 1990; four years later he went on to lead South Africa to democracy with the message of tolerance, reconciliation and hope. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with FW de Klerk.
Robben Island prison was closed in 1996. The island became a museum to educate the world of its role in overcoming injustice after the atrocities that were carried out there. Three years later it was declared a World Heritage site by Unesco.
We bade farewell to our guide and thanked him for sharing his vivid memories so passionately with us and left the prison feeling very emotional after this melancholy visit.
We explored the rest of the island, including Irish Town, where saintly Irish priests and nuns nursed the banished patients with leprosy.
I couldn’t help reflecting on the achievements of Mandela and the fact that he kept his sanity despite all the cruelty. What a hero he is.
www.robben-island.org.za