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Robben Island

An interactive map tour of the island.

This is demonstrative of the kind of content available in the full virtual tour.

Further structures to be included in the full exhibition includes…

  • Garrison Church (Built in 1841 with prison labour under British colonial rule, demonstrative of the Cape Gothic building style)
  • Robert Sobukwe’s House (Political activist imprisoned on the island, with a new clause brought into law named Sobukwe Clause allowing the governement to repeatedly and indefinitely extend the prison sentence of a political prisoner, a clause which was only ever applied to him. He was kept separate from all other prisoners, in this building. He was released in 1969 but remained under house arrest).
  • Underground Plotting Room (a bunker used during WW2, controlling the two artillery batteries on the island)
  • Dummy Batteries (decoy artillery on the north and south of the island)
  • Faure Pier (used to enter the island before the building of the harbour)
  • Searchlight Emplacement Buildings (used to support the two gun batteries on the island)
  • De Waal Battery (artillery on the island during WW2)
  • Remains of buildings from the Dutch era on the eastern shoreline
  • More details on the Marine Protection Area

In the full exhibition, a full timeline of the island will be viewable, from the knowledge of the island before Dutch colonisations, through Dutch and British rule, the Apartheid era and the island in the modern day.

Throughout, the stories of various former inmates and occupants of the island will be told, from all eras of use of the island. Some examples of stories to be highlighted are listed below.

  • Massavana and Koesaaij, two leaders of a slave mutiny on the Meermin slave ship imprisoned by the Dutch colonial rule
  • Makhanda, an Xhosa war doctor, imprisoned by the British in 1819 after surrender after the Battle of Grahamstown.
  • Jafta Masemola, the first person imprisoned on the island by the Apartheid government
  • Murphy Morobe, the leader of the Soweto Uprising (protests by black school children in 1976 over the governent forcing all black schools to use Afrikaans, viewed as the language of the oppressor).
  • Numerous ANC and PAC activists
  • Former South African presidents Nelson Mandela, Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, Jacob Zuma

Through the stories of these people, a lot of the history of South Africa to the modern day can be learnt about.

Currently on the island, former inmates give tours around the Maximum Security Prison. The virtual island exhibit aims to continue this through videos and audio from them, like the linked below.

Sustainable Development Goals

Robben Island is home to the third largest breeding spot for African penguins. As described in the virtual interactive map, the population of penguins was completely decimated by the introduction of rabbits by the Dutch settlers. Through management of the rabbit population and conservation efforts, the penguins now number in the thousands, but numbers have been reducing significantly, likely due to reduced food availability from fishing. The area around the island is the Robben Island Marine Protection Area, where scientists are available to protect and study the wildlife and ecosystem. Through education and awareness about ecosystem protection on and around the island, this project will contribute to Goal 14 and Goal 15 relating to the protection and promotion of ecosystem and natural habitats.

Since the arrival of Dutch colonists, the island’s history is inseperable from racial and political discrimination. While the Apartheid-era history of the island is more well known, much of its history before that is not. By having an exhibition discussing its entire history and the stories of different prisoners and inhabitants on the island, the promotion of Goal 10.2 relating to promoting equality amongst social, economic and political inclusion factors is contributed to.

Further, this supports Goal 16, promoting just and inclusive societies and institutions. Through both its use as a political prison, and an infirmary sequestered from the mainland for particular illnesses such as leprosy and mental illnesses, the island has been a site of exclusion from society. By educating on the historical use of the island, a more inclusive future is promoted.

This project aims to promote and protect the heritage of Robben Island and the human spirit represented by those imprisoned there. Through this, Goal 11.4 relating to the protection of global heritage is promoted.

Sources

[1]        Agence Française de Développement. 2023. Unboxing Mayibuye: Sharing the South African Liberation Memory. Agence Française de Développement. Retrieved February 15, 2025 from https://www.afd.fr/en/unboxing-mayibuye-sharing-south-african-liberation-memory

[2]        Harriet Deacon. 2000. Landscapes of Exile and Healing: Climate and Gardens on Robben Island. The South African Archaeological Bulletin 55, 172 (December 2000), 147. https://doi.org/10.2307/3888963

[3]        Harriet Deacon. 2004. Intangible Heritage in Conservation Management Planning: The Case of Robben Island1. International Journal of Heritage Studies 10, 3 (July 2004), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.1080/1352725042000234479

[4]        Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2025. 15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. United Nations. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal15

[5]        Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2025. 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. United Nations. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal14

[6]        Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2025. 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. United Nations. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal16

[7]        Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2025. 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. United Nations. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal11

[8]        Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2025. 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries. United Nations. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal10#overview

[9]        Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development. 2025. THE 17 GOALS. United Nations. Retrieved February 16, 2025 from https://sdgs.un.org/goals

[10]     Kaitano Dube, Godwell Nhamo, and David Chikodzi. 2021. Rising sea level and its implications on coastal tourism development in Cape Town, South Africa. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 33, (March 2021), 100346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2020.100346

[11]     Google. Expeditions & Tour Creator are no longer available – Expeditions Help. Google. Retrieved April 27, 2025 from https://support.google.com/edu/expeditions/answer/10892826

[12]     National Geographic Staff. 2017. Discover the Rich History of Robben Island. National Geographic. Retrieved February 15, 2025 from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/article/robben-island

[13]     Robben Island Museum. 2022. Virtual Tour. Robben Island Museum. Retrieved February 15, 2025 from https://www.robben-island.org.za/virtual-tours/

[14]     Robben Island Museum. 2025. Infirmary 1890 – 1931 – Robben Island Museum. Robben Island Museum. Retrieved April 27, 2025 from https://www.robben-island.org.za/infirmary-1890-1931/

[15]     Robben Island Museum. 2025. About us. Robben Island Museum. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://www.robben-island.org.za/about-us/

[16]     Robben Island Museum. 2025. Settlement 2000 – now. Robben Island Museum. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://www.robben-island.org.za/settlement-2000-now/

[17]     Robben Island Museum and Nelson Mandela Foundation of Memory. 2015. Robben Island Prison Tour. Robben Island Museum. Retrieved February 15, 2025 from https://artsandculture.google.com/story/robben-island-prison-tour-robben-island-museum/WQUhm-e6wopSJw?hl=en

[18]     Abdulkader Tayob. 2010. Muslim Shrines in Cape Town: Religion and Post-Apartheid Public Spheres. Development and Politics from Below (2010), 56–73. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230283206_4

[19]     UNESCO. 2025. Robben Island – UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved April 27, 2025 from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/916/

[20]     UWC and The Centre for Humanities Research. 2025. New Archival Visions. UWC. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://www.chrflagship.uwc.ac.za/new-archival-visions/

[21]     Florian Weller, Lee-Anne Cecchini, Lynne Shannon, Richard B. Sherley, Robert J.M. Crawford, Res Altwegg, Leanne Scott, Theodor Stewart, and Astrid Jarre. 2014. A system dynamics approach to modelling multiple drivers of the African penguin population on Robben Island, South Africa. Ecol Modell 277, (April 2014), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.01.013

[22]     Nigel Worden. 2017. Slavery at the Cape. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.76

[23]     TRANSCEND MEDIA SERVICE » The “Circle of Peace and Tranquility”: The Karamat of Sheik Sayed Abduraghman Motura (Part 1). Retrieved April 26, 2025 from https://www.transcend.org/tms/2022/08/the-circle-of-peace-and-tranquility-the-karamat-of-sheik-sayed-abduraghman-motura-part-1/

[24]     ARMY 1941 – 1945 – Robben Island Museum. Retrieved April 25, 2025 from https://www.robben-island.org.za/army-1941-1945/

[25]     Indicator Loop Stations. Retrieved April 25, 2025 from https://indicatorloops.com/southafrica.htm

[26]     Exploring Robben Island’s hidden WWII history. Retrieved April 25, 2025 from https://iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/2025-04-11-exploring-robben-islands-hidden-wwii-history/

[27]     Murray s Bay Harbour – Cape Town Heritage. Retrieved April 25, 2025 from https://www.cape-town-heritage.co.za/heritage-site/murray-s-bay-harbour.html

[28]     Settlement 1900 – 1983 – Robben Island Museum. Retrieved April 25, 2025 from https://www.robben-island.org.za/settlement-1900-1983/

[29]     Robben Island harbour improved | Civil Engineering = Siviele Ingenieurswese. Retrieved April 25, 2025 from https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC25427