Cape Town - Struggle icons from Cuba and South Africa on Tuesday boarded the Thembikile boat heading for the historic Robben Island.
The visit to the island formed part of the so-called Cuban Five’s tour of South Africa which began on Sunday.
The five former Cuban intelligence officers, Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, and René González were arrested and imprisoned in 1998 for alleged spying on United States soil.
In 2014, the Obama administration began releasing the five men for what was frequently denounced by the South African government as unlawful imprisonment. René González was released first, on October 7, 2011, then Fernando González was released on February 27, 2014, and the remaining three were released on December 17, 2014, in a prisoner swap with Cuba for an American intelligence officer.
The Cuban Five, who served in Angola alongside South Africans as part of the liberation forces against apartheid in the 1980s, were warmly welcomed into South Africa at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Sunday as guests of government, the African National Congress, and it’s alliance partners.
The Cuban Five are in the country from June 21 to July 3 to thank South Africa for their role in fighting for their release from prison in the US. In addition to a tour of South Africa’s iconic struggle landmarks, the Cubans were also in the country to strengthen ties between the two governments.
The Five would be guided on their Robben Island tour by struggle stalwart and longtime political prisoner on the island, Ahmed Kathrada.
ANA