ROBBEN ISLAND TO UNDERGO R150M UPGRADE

Public tours will be suspended for more than two months

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

IN WHAT has been described as a sad sight by many visitors, the Robben Island Museum (RIM) is set to regain its former glory through a R150 million renovation approved by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

The long-awaited refurbishment, which has been a decade in the making, will lead to suspended tours for nearly three months, marking a significant moment in the preservation of South Africa's rich historical narrative.

Robben Island has a long and significant history in South Africa, from the 15th-20th centuries of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonisation, and the apartheid era.

As a National Site of Memory and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (Unesco) World Heritage Site, Robben Island, stands as a living heritage symbolising the resilience of the human spirit and the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism, RIM said.

Late last week, RIM council chairperson, Professor Saths Cooper, announced operational changes aimed at enhancing service delivery at the museum.

Cooper also delivered the good news that Robben Island will host delegations from around the world as South Africa becomes the first African country to host the G20 later this year.