Island offers SA’s historical Tours

Sibusiso Banda

"There was no electricity. Prisoners where made to sleep on the cement floors and imagine how cold Cape Town’s winter imagine is."

Lunamile Zozo Madolo shares his Robben Island

experience with the Island visitors

This is according to one of ex-political prisoners, Lunamile Zozo Madolo, who is now a tour guide in Robben Island. He was sharing his experience with some of the tourist and students who came to visit the Island.

According to Madolo the island, situated just 12 km west of the Cape Town’s Water front, was used by the pre 1994 government as a prison for silencing anti-apartheid leaders.

"Former President Nelson Mandela, Kgalema Motlanthe along with many other politicians spent 27 years imprisoned during the apartheid era. President Jacob Zuma served 10 years while Steve Biko was kept separately in Robben Island’s smallest prison,” he said.

Madolo was a student in Port Elizabeth when he brought to the Island in 1977. He was arrested a year before for taking part in the Soweto Uprising of 1976. Students were protesting an apartheid act which made it mandatory for black schools to use Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in the secondary school level.

 
"Instead of listening to us, they brought teargas, caspers and hippos. Policeman and soldiers came into our townships and shot at us. Some went to hiding while others left the country. Those who were unlucky like me, were sent to this prison to serve long terms,"

He said prison was not immune to the apartheid system. Prisoners were treated according to their race.

"Prisoners treated differently. Depending on the colour of your skin, you were
allocated he number of different meals of theday. That was not all, even with the cloths, most of the black prisoners were made to wear the shorts unlike other races."

Ilyas Salie also a tour guide said although no political prisoners had tried escaping, there were people who had successfully escaped from Robben Island.

"The first person to escape was a Khoisan chief by the name of Shasim Hanto, but there was someone who was also successful than him. His name was David Steersman, he escaped two times and swimming while doing so."

One of the people who were on the island’s tour Kulani Bangini said he wanted to get a personal feel of the South African history.

"I know and understand our country’s history: I understand why there was
reconciliation and freedom. So todayI was here to see the island and
associate all of that." She said.