Fact Sheets & Video - Cape Town

Just 10 kilometres off the coast of

Cape Town

in South Africa, is Robben Island. For 400 years, Robben Island was used as a prison, and from the 1960's it was home to the famed freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years behind bars, and 18 of those years were in the Isolation section, known as Section B. Section B had many rules, designed to crush the spirit out of those prisoners within the section. These rules included no talking, lights on 24 hours, 7 days a week, rough treatment and, more than anything, complete separation from other prisoners. This was to prevent political discussion as best possible, however many prisoners still found ways around this.

Robben Island has not only been used as a prison. It was a training and defence station in World War II, a hospital for leprosy patients, and the mentally and chronically ill. In the 1840s, Robben Island was chosen for a hospital because it was both secure (isolating dangerous cases) and healthy (providing a good environment for cure). During this time, political and common-law prisoners were still kept on the Island. In 1990, when the Apartheid system crashed, Nelson Mandela was released and went from Prisoner to President. The Island became a museum in 1997 and since then the museum is an institution, which acts as a focal point of South African heritage. It runs educational programmes for schools, youths and adults, facilitates tourism development, conducts ongoing research related to the Island and fulfils an archiving function.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Robben Island Museum- Half day Robben Island Tour from $30 adult; $15 child. Includes return boat transfers, guided tour of prison & bus tour. For more information call: 0011 27 21 413 4200 Prices correct at 14/07/07. Prices include taxes, subject to fluctuation. Conditions apply.

South African Airways- Fly return to Cape Town from $2260 ex West Coast. For more information call: www.flysaa.com Prices correct at 21/06/07 Prices include taxes, subject to fluctuation. Conditions apply. For more information visit: www.southafrica.net