DA Western Cape Spokesperson for Cultural Affairs and Sport, Reagen Allen, MPP says: We will be submitting a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to obtain investigative reports outlining alleged gross mismanagement at the Robben Island Museum (RIM). This follows refusal of the RIM management and Minister Nathi Mthethwa to make these reports public, despite our continued calls and the fact that no disciplinary action has been taken against implicated individuals.
Since the allegations of mismanagement were raised by the Ex-Political Prisoners Association (EPPA) in 2018, two reports were drafted and finalised over two years. The reports allegedly implicate two senior officials who were supposed to undergo disciplinary processes, but the charges were mysteriously dropped. Neither of these reports – not even summaries – have been made public by RIM despite the cost of the museum to taxpayers and the significance that the museum holds in the history of this country.
Minister Mthethwa and his national Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, who are tasked with overseeing the RIM, have been missing in action during this entire process. It seems national government does not have the appetite to hold RIM to account.
The PAIA application provides us with an avenue for transparency. We want the public to fully understand the extent of the allegations leveraged at the senior officials of the museum, since this is a public institution which residents fund. It is without doubt in the public interest that light is shed on the real reasons why the RIM took no action against senior management, despite prima facie evidence.
Robben Island plays an integral part in representing our country, especially the Western Cape and its residents. It is thus in the best interest of the public and the province to understand the extent of the alleged mismanagement at the RIM so that we can ensure proper measures are put in place to prevent this from arising in future.
