Cape Town - A Robben Island ferry passenger, one of the passengers that suffered a cracked rib, severe chest infection due to hypothermia, has reportedly told the Democratic Alliance (DA) that he has not received any compensation his injuries sustained when the ferry capsized.
In a statement, the DA said: "Canadian passenger, Bill Slade, who was present on ailing Robben Island ferry, Thandi, capsized on 15 September 2017 in Table Bay, says he and other passengers have still received no compensation for their injuries more than a month after the incident."
Slade also complained that he had also not been compensated for his damaged camera neither did he receive a response to inquiries about the matter.
DA Western Cape Spokeswoman on Economic Opportunities, Tourism, and Agriculture, Beverley Schäfer said: "I call on the Robben Island Museum to make contact with each and every passenger involved in the incident to provide compensation for any losses, whether material or non-material, as a matter of urgency.
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"I am also willing to assist in this regard, by passing on any relevant claims to the responsible authorities".
Schäfer said she had written to Samsa requesting that the agency's report on the investigation be made public.
"This is in the interests of transparency and accountability to our people in order to get to the bottom of this issue," said Schäfer.
In the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Tourism, on 13 October 2017, RIM said: "They have insurance in place though this is not compelled by law, it is just a good thing to do."
However, Schäfer said if RIM in any way is a "moral and upstanding public-run entity" they will provide immediate compensation to the passengers involved in the incident and that non-communication and compensation are threatening the reputation of the Cape Town Tourism scene and that of the country.
"We cannot let such negligence cause unnecessary pain and inconvenience to the 370,000 tourists who visit the [Robben] island every year seeking a world-class experience. Furthermore, we cannot let this failure desecrate the Western Cape’s tourism sector, upon which thousands of our residents rely for employment," Schäfer said.