Things looking up for Robben Island

(File photo) A party of tourists arrives at Robben Island. Picture: Leon Lestrade

(File photo) A party of tourists arrives at Robben Island. Picture: Leon Lestrade

Published May 2, 2014

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Cape Rown - Sikhululekile, Robben Island Museum’s flagship boat, has been out of commission since last year, leaving two smaller boats to ferry visitors to the island.

However, some tour operators say the service has seen some improvement in the past five months, that it is operating better than it was during the festive season and that it might be turning the corner.

During the peak festive season, the service was riddled with problems. Tours were frequently cancelled because the two smaller boats could not cope with the increase in the number of visitors.

In December, the 300-seater Sikhululekile went for repairs, missing a second festive season. It has been in and out of the docks for the past two years, costing the museum over R5 million. In addition, almost R1.7 million was spent on repairs for the smaller boat, the Dias.

The problems surrounding the ferry saw the revenue from tour sales dip by R1 382 392 in the 2012/2013 financial year, according to the museum’s annual report, while the number of visitors last December declined by 5 percent from December 2012.

The museum’s management said it had a plan to avoid such problems occurring again.

This included the acquisition of two new ferries, each with a capacity of 150, to support Sikhululekile, Dias and Susan Kruger.

A notice calling for tenders to provide two ferries was published in February.

Spokeswoman Nomonde Ndlangisa said the museum had received 11 applications. It had yet to decide whether to buy an existing ferry or build a new one.

“Both processes take time and the museum intends to procure the ferries in phases, instead of purchasing both at once,” Ndlangisa said.

“However, the museum will ensure it has a back-up plan to offer reliable and consistent service. Special measures will be put in place to ensure the 2014/2015 peak season proceeds without any problems.”

The Sikhululekile was scheduled to be back in operation this month. The low season between May and August would allow the museum to complete all the maintenance work before the peak season.

Peter Pitout, who runs tour company Around the Cape in 80 Ways, said that since January it seemed that the service had turned a corner.

“I have not had any complaints from my clients for a long time. The museum has been taking flak from a lot of people, myself included.

“I think the service is about 40 percent better than in December. Maybe the moaning has helped a bit,” Pitout said.

Delays were only around 10 to 15 minutes.

Andile Nzuzo of Inkululeko Freedom Route Tours said he too had seen improvement.

“Robben Island is trying hard to fix the situation. I’m taking my people on tours almost every day and they are trying to accommodate everyone.”

Nzuzo, who has been running tours for 18 years, said the problems during the festive season resulted because of an increase in visitors.

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Cape Times

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