Cape Town – The Ex-Political Prisoners’ Association (EPPA) said they were not given an opportunity to make submissions at a special Robben Island Museum (RIM) council meeting last week, after organisers changed the dates and venue at the last minute.
Association secretary Mpho Masemola said: “They are starting off on the wrong foot and we have written a complaint. We are just waiting for feedback.
“They said they wanted to work with us and wanted us to make submissions.
“We said we needed to have a workshop and then we would present a credible presentation to them.
“However, nobody ever got back to us. Now our concerns are being mentioned but we were never consulted about them,” he said.
During the two-day strategic planning session, the RIM council aimed to review, discuss and enhance the museum’s draft strategic plan (2020 -2025), the annual performance plans for the 2020/2021 financial year, and examine progress made on the third integrated conservation management plan 2018-2023.
In relation to the EPPA, the council said: “Following growing concerns from RIM EPPs, council has considered advocating their dire economic plight at national level, to provide additional support to what RIM currently has in place to address most of their needs.”
Highlighting the former political prisoners’ socio-economic plight, the council said RIM was aware of and acknowledged the existence of those incarcerated on Robben Island from inception.
It said the museum had established an Ex-Political Prisoners Advisory Committee in 2017, as a sub-committee of the RIM council.
Its purpose was to “offer guidance on research, interpretation, presentation and conservation of the island; and to further structure dialogue between RIM and EPPs on broader issues affecting both parties”.