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INTRODUCTION

As discussed in previous chapters, Robben Island’s layeredhistory is shaped by its different uses in different periodsof time. The impact of this on the natural environment ofthe Island was discussed in Chapter 1. The focus of thischapter is on the impact of these various layers of occupationon the cultural landscape. It isolates the MSP (and itsassociated sites), quarries, cemeteries and graves, thekramat and churches, and WW2 fortifications, as the mainfeatures that have altered the environment and engraveda number of cultural routes or pathways on Robben Island.

REMAINS OF BUILT STRUCTURES

The cultural landscape of the Island has been particularlymarked by settlement patterns that have been prevalenton the eastern side of Robben Island:

• In the Dutch period, settlement took place in thecentral portion adjacent to the beach of Murray’s Bayand northwards from that point.

• During the British colonial period and after, residentialdevelopment took place almost exclusively to thesoutheast where the village stands today.

• Boundary Road, on the northern edge of the village,separated the staff and patients of the Infirmary andthose with leprosy, who were housed in the variousleprosaria to the north of the village.1

• Prison structures erected after 1900 were all built tothe north of this line.

• During WW2, artillery batteries, rifle posts and otherbuildings were constructed to defend the Island andTable Bay, especially in previously unoccupied areasof the Island.

• Avenues and plantations of Eucalyptus, Cypress andManatoka were established, thereby introducing treesto the interior and northern parts of the Island.

Today, no buildings from the Dutch period are intact,however a few visible remains of structures exist close tothe eastern shoreline and in the northern garden area.Only one building from the leprosaria still stands – a church.

However, a pond and thousands of graves bear testimonyto the thousands of people suffering with leprosy who livedon the Island in the 19th and 20th centuries. The WW2structures that are outside of the general settlement areashave fallen into disrepair, at times they have been takenover by penguins as nesting areas or by alien vegetation.With the exception of these structures and a few buildingsof the apartheid prison period, much of the Island awayfrom the east coast remains largely undeveloped, with aperimeter road encircling the Island, link roads and anairstrip and helipad positioned in the interior.

CEMETERIES AND GRAVES

Burials found on Robben Island date to the time of Europeansettlement at the Cape and Robben Island. Most of theburials are located in four cemeteries. During buildingoperations, unmarked graves generally close to the easternseaboard2 have also been found.

Leprosarium GraveyardIn South Africa for many years, people with leprosy, mostof whom were black, were perceived negatively due to theracial prejudices of the time.3 After 45 years of the initialestablishment of a leprosarium on the Island, the CapeGovernment passed the Leprosy Repression Act in 1891,which stripped people with leprosy of their civil rights andbanished them to the Island.

Dr Wangerman’s linocut depicting Xhosa Chiefs incarcerated on Robben Island, 1868

The Church of the Good Shepherd was designed by Sir Herbert Baker

The Leprosarium Graveyard is comprised of marked and unmarked graves

The leprosarium was closed in 1931 after nine decades ofexistence. During this period many people with leprosydied on the Island and were buried in a graveyard situatedto the north of the Church of the Good Shepherd and themale leprosarium (the buildings of the latter weredemolished due to fear of the spread of the disease).This is the Leprosarium Graveyard, where there are manyhundred individual graves.4 The same burial ground wasalso used for people held at the General Infirmary whodied from other illnesses. The area that is presently enclosedby diamond-mesh fencing is just a part of the graveyardon the southern limits. Outside this area to the south, thereis at least one grave. To the west and north, there are rowsof graves lying under a forest of Australian Myrtle andWattle trees. The cemetery possibly extended to the siteof the MSP, where human bones were unearthed duringthe digging of foundation trenches in the 1960s and alsowhen a tennis court was constructed in A-Section in the1970s.

Staff Burial GroundThe Staff Burial Ground of the Infirmary period was situatedin the village precinct and is the second largest cemetery,with 253 individual graves. A number of the deceased werepeople of Irish descent who were working at the GeneralInfirmary, and members of their families. The site is enclosedon three sides within low rectangular dry-stone uncoursedwalling.

Graves near the kramatThere are at least five graves that exist close to the kramat,all located on its western side. This is possibly a largecemetery, but the area was for a long time overgrown withbushes and grass, and further investigations need to beconducted to ascertain the position of other burials.

Garrison Church cemeteryA fourth formal cemetery is situated within the low wallssurrounding the Garrison Church, where a small numberof adults and children were buried from the 1840s to the1870s. Amongst those buried there are two prominentfigures of the Infirmary period – Dr William Edmunds,Surgeon Superintendent from 1862 to1872, and ReverendJoseph Lehmann, the Moravian missionary whoaccompanied the first group of people with leprosy toRobben Island in 1845.5

Earlier maps6 show another cemetery in the area wherethe Transport Depot is currently located.

SPIRITUAL SITES

The kramatThe kramat is a Muslim religious shrine – one of many builtat the Cape over a period of time. Thus for the Muslimcommunity, particularly in Cape Town, Robben Island isan important edifice of their faith. Local inhabitants of theEast Indies resisted Dutch colonial expansion. Amongstthose who played a significant role in the resistance werehigh-ranking men such as princes and Imams, some ofwhom were banished and shipped to Robben Island.

In 1682 the prince from the Island of Macassar in present-day Indonesia, and other high-ranking Muslims, werebanished to the Island. A simple shrine was erected inhonour of the Prince of Madura, Pangerau ChakraDeningrat, who died on the Island in 1754. His body wasreturned to his son in Indonesia and now lies buried inJakarta.7 There are a number of other gravesites in thearea including that of Hadjie Matarim who died on RobbenIsland in 1755. Behind the kramat to the west, within thefenced area, are two graves of other Muslim exiles.8

However, there are other graves outside the fence, possiblyof other Muslims.

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The staff burial ground contains 253 individual graves

This is a formal cemetery that has the remains of people who lived on theIsland between the 1840s and 1870s

The kramat burial site prior to its construction in 1967

The kramat has long been a place of pilgrimage for Muslimsand forms part of five kramats forming the ‘Holy Circle ofIslam’ surrounding Cape Town. In 1967 the Prison Servicesused prisoners to replace the structure and build a kramatof similar design to the one in honour of Ghaibi Shah onLion’s Head in Cape Town. The frame of the building isclad with slate in a style occurring on many buildingserected on the Island during the apartheid prison era.

The churchesRobben Island has many churches built during differenttimes and belonging to different religious orders. Todaythere are only two that remain standing, namely the Churchof the Good Shepherd and the Garrison Church. TheChurch of the Good Shepherd was designed by therenowned architect Sir Herbert Baker and was built fromstone. It was for men with leprosy and today it is the onlysurviving building of the leprosaria.

The interior features, such as the pews, were removedand the carved wooden statue on the portico of the churchdisappeared at, or soon after, abandonment in 1931. Thereis however, photographic evidence of the carving in situ.With the closure of the leprosarium, the church wasabandoned in 1931, but was refurbished and re-consecratedas the Naval Church in 1942 during WW2.9 Prisonersunder the apartheid era subsequently used it for a brieftime. The church and a small area of ground surroundingit, are owned by the Church of the Province of South Africa.They refurbished it in 2001 and use it occasionally forspecial services and commemorative events.

Situated within the village is the Garrison Church whichwas constructed in 1841 utilising prison labour from theBritish convict station on the Island. The church was of‘Cape Gothic’ style in its original finish, with a square towerabove the front entrance. The churchyard was used as aburial ground for ministers and other citizens living in thevillage. The main road in front of the church has appropriatelybeen named Church Street.

The Dutch Reformed Church Parsonage was built in 1894for the resident chaplain ministering to people with leprosy.The Dutch Reformed Church itself was demolished at thesame time as the buildings that housed people with leprosy.

The Parsonage was converted to an Officers’ Mess duringWW2 and it was used as a guesthouse when the prisonwas re-introduced in the 1960s. The building is situatedwithin the village precinct and in 1989 it was refurbished,altered and connected to the Commissioner’s Residencyto form the guesthouse.

WORLD WAR 2

Robben Island has a high concentration of WW2 sites.There are two main gun emplacements positioned on thesouth and northeast side of the Island – the De WaalBattery (previously called the Robben Island Battery) andthe Cornelia Battery. In addition to the guns of the mainbatteries, each battery had an engine room, observationposts, fire-control towers, underground bunkers containingammunition, as well as searchlights, storerooms and smallbarracks. A large number of pillboxes, barracks and storeswere built on numerous sites around the Island.

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Interior of the Church of the Good Shepherd

Garrison Church, 1933 The Dutch Reformed Church

The Commissioner’s residency in 1913

World War Two gun emplacement

In order to support this extensive development, a harbourwas constructed and new roads were built. The airstripand cabling linking the many new structures added to theinfrastructure. As the Island was the control centre for anti-submarine defences, four loops of cable were laid includingone to Melkbosstrand and another to Clifton. The complexnow known as Logistics, housed both the listening stationand the barracks for the SWANs who operated the anti-submarine defences.

To defend the Island against bombardment or bombing bythe enemy, an extensive system of underground bunkerswas established that included a hospital, a power plant,and ammunition dumps. A network of tunnels connectedthe various sites.

Some of the gun sites were dismantled and refurbishedafter the Department of Prisons took over the Island in the1960s. More recently the WW2 buildings of the Logisticsand Medium B complexes have been refurbished, howevermost structures require maintenance, including theunderground bunkers and other structures further awayfrom the village and prison precincts.

POLITICAL IMPRISONMENT

Jetty 1Jetty 1, in Table Bay Harbour Cape Town, was originallypart of the harbour landscape. At that time it consistedlargely of railway tracks and warehouses and wasconstructed of corrugated metal sheets.

The beach of Murray’s Bay was the original landing placeon the Island. In the 1800s three jetties were built on theIsland’s eastern shores. The first two were washed awayby stormy seas and the third, the Faure Jetty, was used forover 50 years and although rickety, still exists. Only vesselswith shallow draughts could dock at the jetty, so mostpassengers and goods were first loaded onto a launch andferried to the jetty. Veterans recall that during WW2, theIsie would dock at the jetty so that they could disembark inthe village thus avoiding the need to use transport from theharbour to the village.

When Robben Island was declared a MSP the buildingwas adapted and became an integral part of the PoliticalImprisonment Landscape. Originally it was a corrugatediron (zinc) building with no secure cells, and so warderschained prisoners to the benches. In the late 1970s adouble-storey brick building was erected on the site witha red face-brick exterior. The building contained offices,waiting rooms and barred cells. Once imprisoned on RobbenIsland, prisoners only crossed to the mainland to facefurther interrogation or charges, or to visit hospitals. Theirmemories of Jetty 1 cells are often associated with sicknessand ill health.

Family and friends visited political prisoners on RobbenIsland with great difficulty, negotiating stressful procedureslinked to applications, permits and passes. After longjourneys to Cape Town they often struggled to findaccommodation. At Jetty 1 they sat in waiting roomsreserved for ‘non-whites only’ whilst preparing themselvesfor their visit to the Island. Anxiety, fear, excitement andhope framed their wait for the ferry. At times rough weatheror not having correct documentation could result in visitorsreturning home without seeing their loved ones. Returnjourneys were harder as they had to leave their loved onesbehind.

Warders and their families visited the mainland only ontheir two weekends off per month. For them, arrival at Jetty1 meant a return to work and the isolation of Robben Island.They left the 'freedom' and relaxation of mainland lifebehind at Jetty 1.

Maximum Security Prison (MSP)The Maximum Security Prison (MSP) is located just westof Murray’s Bay Harbour. It was built by political andcommon law prisoners in the 1960s, utilising stone andstone aggregate from the Jan van Riebeeck and BluestoneQuarries. The exterior of the walls has stone cladding withpointed jointing, giving the impression of a stone wall.However, concrete and blocks make up the thickest sectionsof the walls. D-Section, an H-block, was the first structurecompleted using the common stone finish, and the dininghall was the last. A prefabricated building for administrationoffices was added later.

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Logistics as it is today. It houses the offices of the Heritage Department

The Dias berthed at Jetty 1

The MSP comprises of:• Four H-block General Sections, each consisting of

four general cells designed to hold 52 inmates;• A U-shaped Isolation Block consisting of approximately

90 single cells;• A catwalk above the Isolation Block’s courtyard;• A Hospital;• An Administration Section, kitchen and dining hall;• Five Watchtowers;• Double fencing of 5 metres high surrounding the site

and walls of 3 metres high surrounding courtyardsand separating the sections;

• Sports fields.

Upon completion, the different sections were named – thegeneral sections were called A, B, C and D-Section, whilethe isolation single-cells section was called Khulukuthu. Inthe 1960s both political and common law prisoners werehoused together in the general sections and spent theirdays engaged in hard labour on various sites. The isolationBlock, Khulukuthu, was used to house the leadership fromall organisations, and those regarded as influential, andthus became known as the leadership section. A numberof the cells in the western wing were also used to confineprisoners who were being punished.

Khulukuthu was the name the prisoners gave this sectionbecause part of it was used as a punishment section forprisoners, who were placed in solitary confinementand often given a spare diet. There is no direct translationas it is an expression meaning, ‘throwing somethingspontaneously into something’. Punishment was often metedout in an arbitrary and spontaneous manner by the warders.

In the mid-1970s, the Isolation Block was divided into threedifferent sections and a high wall constructed in an attemptto prevent communication between these sections:

• B-Section, comprising the eastern wing of the block,continued to house the leadership figures;

• The young BCM militants and MK cadres were housedin A-Section, which was made up of the southern andmost of the western wings;

• The punishment section became the small C-Section.

Both A- and B-Sections had communal rooms for eatingand recreational activities, as well as courtyards that wereused for tennis and small gardens. In A-Section, eachpolitical organisation had its own area in the courtyard formeetings.

The general sections that were formerly named A, B, Dand C were renamed D, E, F and G-Sections respectively.For a number of years D-Section was used to house theNamibian political prisoners, and only a few South Africanyouths were placed there. The D category prisoners thatarrived in the 1970s and 1980s were placed in E-Section.Once they had been moved to a higher category, theywere transferred to G- and F-Sections. Prisoners of G- andF-Sections were provided with opportunities to learn tradesin the workshops of the transformed Ou Tronk, whereasthe inmates of other sections spent their days in their cells.

All prisoners in South African prisons are categorised fromA to D. D category prisoners have the fewest privilegesincluding number of letters and visits, and what they canpurchase from the prison tuckshop, among others.

GardensA number of prison courtyards were turned into recreationalspaces that included sports and gardening. The courtyardsof the Isolation Block, D-Section and the Hospital are allknown to have had gardens, and today there is still evidenceincluding flowers, trees and even a grapevine in a Hospitalcourtyard. Gardening contributed to the prisoners’ physicaland emotional well-being by providing an opportunity tointroduce flowers, fruit and vegetables into their impersonaland harsh environment.

Initially it was a struggle to get permission from theauthorities to establish gardens, however once it wasaccepted practice, the fruit of the gardens providedcultivators with an opportunity to present gifts to theircomrades. One prisoner stated that this was symbolic ofhope and liberation as the fruits were cultivated in the‘barren’ prison environment. Gardens also had a practicalpolitical element by opening up opportunities for politicaldebate and also by providing hiding places – the first draftof Long Walk to Freedom was hidden in the B-Sectiongarden.

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Aerial view of the Maximum Security Prison

Sculptures made by Vusi Nkumane and Jeff Masemola

Sports fieldsIn the struggle to improve their conditions in prison, politicalprisoners placed much emphasis on sport and recreationand the most popular outdoor sport was football followedby rugby and tennis. There were eventually four footballfields, one of which also had rugby posts, and six tenniscourts. D- and E-Sections had football fields close to thecell blocks and after the demolition of the Zink Tronk, F-and G-Sections shared a field. The A-Section prisonerswere taken to a field close to the airstrip for their footballgames.

Prisoners in B-, and later in A-Section, were givenpermission to build tennis courts in their courtyards. Laterfour courts were built next to the main sports field west ofF- and G-Sections. Today the fields and courts of the MSPstill exist, but are threatened by the elements. Sport wasan opportunity to compete with opponents, but also providedopportunities to build bridges across political andgenerational divides. Much emphasis was put on the rulesof a game, and the administration of sports clubs wasturned into an opportunity for imparting organisational skills.

Zink TronkDuring the construction of the MSP, prisoners were housedin the Ou Tronk (Old Jail) and the Zink Tronk (Zinc Jail).The Zink Tronk was located next to F- and G-Sections, onthe north side. Later this area became the sports field andtennis courts of the general sections.

The Zink Tronk was specifically constructed to house alarge number of prisoners during the 1960s and wasretained until the mid-1970s when it was demolished. Thejail was a large rectangular building with a large courtyardin the middle. The building was constructed from corrugatediron and comprised general cells, a small section of singlecells, a library, ablution facilities and a clinic. The complexwas surrounded by a high fence with a guard post at eachcorner.

Official figures for 1964 indicate that the MSP and Zink Tronkhoused 1 395 political and common law prisoners. Someprisoners have stated that the total figure was closer to2 000 inmates.

When the Namibian political prisoners arrived in 1968, theywere incarcerated in the Zink Tronk alongside high securitycommon law prisoners. Later other prisoners convictedunder the Terrorism Act were also housed there.

Ou TronkThe Ou Tronk was initially made up of five long WW2wooden barracks, a kitchen and ablution facilities. In the1950s the buildings were converted to a medium securityprison, and in 1960 eight new plastered brick buildingswere designed and erected to serve as a temporarymaximum security prison. A large number of common lawprisoners, soon followed by an equally large number ofpolitical prisoners, were incarcerated here while quarryingand chopping stone for the building of the MSP. Mandelawas imprisoned in the Ou Tronk for a few weeks in 1963prior to the arrests of the Rivonia trialists, and again fortwo weeks with six of the trialists in 1964 until the IsolationBlock of the MSP was completed.

After hard labour on the Island was brought to an end inthe mid-1970s, the Prison Services converted the Ou Tronkto workshops where prisoners received training in a rangeof crafts and trades. Many political prisoners took theopportunity to learn new skills, including building, plumbing,carpentry, and painting, among others. They earned asmall income for work completed and most also gainedcertificates in their craft. A number went on to utilise their

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The sports field adjacent to F- and G-Sections

Zink Tronk on far right; F-Section on left

Ou Tronk

newly learnt skills outside prison. One prisoner, GenevaMorake, utilised the bricklaying skills he had acquired tobuild his own house after his release.

The wooden barracks of the Ou Tronk were in disrepairand in the 1990s were demolished, leaving only the bareconcrete slabs as a reminder of their earlier presence.

Sobukwe ComplexFour buildings at the Sobukwe Complex were erectedduring WW2 for various purposes, including barracks, messfacilities and a hygiene office. The latter, designated T159became Robert Sobukwe’s house, while T158 was anablution and wash area. In the mid-1970s two long, paralleldog kennels were built in front of the Sobukwe House tohouse aggressive dogs that were brought onto the Islandfor night patrol in the double fencing of the MSP.

From 1963 to 1969 Sobukwe stayed in a small white housewhich had formerly been used by black warders who wereremoved from the Island. His living quarters consisted oftwo small rooms, one used as a bedroom / study and theother as a kitchen and ironing room. Furnishings weresparse and included a bed with a coir mattress, cupboard,table, chair, bookcase and floor mat. At one stage Sobukweestablished a small garden in front of his house.

A separate ablution block, with hot and cold running waterand a shower, was located outside his living quarters.Another empty bungalow constituted the only other buildingin the relatively large fenced area where he was detained.His children stayed in this bungalow when they wereallowed to visit him from 1967.

Outside the fenced area on the southern side, stands along building that has been used in a number of ways sinceit was built in WW2. It was used as a school for the childrenof coloured warders in the early 1960s and was convertedinto a hostel for dog-handlers in 1977. The warders livedin single quarters in the hostel in close proximity to theirdogs.

Bamboo FactoryDuring WW2 the South African Navy built a DegaussingStation on Robben Island, including instrumentation rooms,offices and living accommodation. Degaussing10 was

devised as a countermeasure to the magnetic mines theGermans began to lay, which were more lethal than theearlier mines. The only suitable position for the firstdegaussing range in the Cape Town area was close to theeastern shore of Robben Island.

In the MSP period, the Degaussing Station was convertedinto a Bamboo Factory. The two buildings of the BambooFactory are located between the Ou Tronk and the shore,just north of the harbour. They are rectangular buildingsmade of plastered brick. After kelp seaweed (bamboo) wascollected and dried on racks outside the buildings, it wascut up and processed by machine into a fine powder insidethe buildings. Working conditions were very poor and theNamibian prisoners working there went on strike to protestagainst the extremely dusty conditions, and to request animproved work situation before returning to work.

LandbouLandbou is a sandy site situated to the southwest of theMSP and close to the Limestone Quarry. As part of apunishment regime, prisoners were marched from the MSPto work on this site. Once they arrived there they wereforced to push wheelbarrows with metal wheels, loadedwith sand, in the soft sandy soil from one part of the siteto another, for no apparent purpose. It was also on thissite that warders beat and tortured prisoners. At least twoprisoners are recorded to have been buried up to theirnecks, leaving only their heads exposed for breathing. Itis also reported that on asking whether they were thirsty

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Aerial shot of Sobukwe complex

Bamboo Factory

Landbou

the warders urinated on their faces. This site epitomisesthe extreme forms of humiliation meted out by two infamouswarders in particular, the Kleynhans brothers, who workedin collaboration with common law prisoners to brutalisepolitical prisoners in the early 1960s.

The Hydroponics BuildingThe Hydroponics Building, which started as a dairy, islocated on Raymond Road to the southwest of the MSP.It is of a similar style to many of the 1960s buildings onthe Island, with an exterior of stone cladding like that ofthe MSP. Later the building was transformed into agreenhouse with a translucent roof, creating an environmentconducive for the rapid growth of plants. It was used forgrowing vegetables and fruit, such as tomatoes andcucumbers, using hydroponic methods. Smaller buildingsin the vicinity housed engines that pumped and suppliedwater to the site. A stone-walled cattle kraal was constructedin the environs of hydroponics. From the 1960s to the1980s, political prisoners worked at the site, initially as partof their punishment, but later it was regarded as part oftheir ‘social rehabilitation’.

The Visitors’ CentreThe Visitors’ Centre, on the edge of the harbour, was wherepolitical prisoners had contact with their families and theirlawyers. One section of the Visitors’ Centre contained thevisitor area where prisoners were separated from theirvisitors by plate glass and communicated with each otherthrough an invariably faulty sound system. People wereforced to shout to each other in this confined space and

one can imagine the noise and confusion, with severalpeople simultaneously shouting to each other in differentlanguages. In a situation where many prisoners were onlyallowed one half-an-hour visit every six months, this wasan extremely harrowing experience.

From 1983 A category prisoners, the most ’privileged’group, were allowed contact visits in small rooms in theCentre. Contact visits were later extended to all prisoners.All visits were monitored and recorded. The room to theimmediate right of the archway, going towards the prison,was initially a dentist’s room, but in the early 1980s it wasused to house the sound equipment that monitored andrecorded prison visits.

Murray’s Bay HarbourMurray’s Bay Harbour is situated on the east coast of theIsland. It is a relatively small harbour that consists of onebreakwater and the quay where all the staff and visitors’boats from the mainland arrive. The quay was establishedwithin the area of the earliest landings on the Island, andwas built in historical phases, with the first major workscompleted during WW2.11

After WW2 the harbour was enlarged, and during the 1960sprisoners built the high wall that hides the view of TableBay as well as new buildings. The buildings housed roomssuch as the waiting room for warders and their familiesand visitors, ablution facilities, and an X-ray room to checkvisitors for weapons. The harbour master’s office was builton the second floor with a view of the bay.

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Hydroponics in the 1960s

Visitors’ Centre

Murray’s Bay Harbour in the 1940s

Main quay today

AirstripThe airstrip consists of two 700-metre long and 10-metrewide asphalt landing strips orientated in southeast andsouthwest directions. It is linked by tracks from each runwayto Perimeter Road and to the MSP. The airstrip was partof the infrastructure developed on Robben Island duringthe WW2 period. Building commenced early in 1940 andwas completed at the end of 1942. In this period it wasused for supplies, and for bombers and reconnaissanceaircraft that had run out of fuel or encountered otherproblems whilst on patrol. During the apartheid prisonperiod the airstrip was used to bring prison officials to andfrom the Island. Unlike other prisoners, the Rivonia trialistswere brought to the Island on a chartered Dakota airplane.12

Medium B Security PrisonThe Medium B Security Prison (that was used to incarceratecommon law prisoners) is located on the northern edge ofthe Village between Church Street and the east coast ofthe Island. The complex was used as a Medium SecurityPrison from the late 1960s, and during this period wasconsiderably altered by the Department of PublicWorks(DPW). The oldest part of the complex comprisesthree blocks of equal width and a large hangar-like structurewith a curved roof. Walls of 3 metres high topped withbarbed wire surround the structure, and all windows werebarred. Most cells were large general cells, however somebuildings were adapted to house a number of single cellsfor isolation or punishment purposes. These structures,housing cellblocks and the main kitchen, date back to theWW2 period. More recently Medium B Security Prison hasbeen converted into a Multi-Purpose Learning Centre withsome surfaces, such as walls and concreted surfaces, andthe footprint of the site, being conserved to show theirhistorical use. The structures were converted into facilities

for the Learning Centre and include conference rooms, aResource Centre, eating and accommodation spaces.

The Administration BlockThe Administration Block is situated opposite the formerMedium B Security Prison in a rectangular block with apaved forecourt, but originally it was a U-shaped structurewith an internal forecourt. It is located on a site that waspreviously part of the male leprosarium. It was alsoassociated with the WW2 period of Robben Island andtherefore has historical significance. During the apartheidprison period the building served as the prison headquarterson Robben Island. Currently the building is used as officespace and earmarked for rehabilitation in 2007.

The VillageThe Village precinct consists of the area in the southeast ofthe Island bounded by Boundary Road to the north, theLighthouse area in the west, and the coastline to the southand east. Construction of the Village began under Britishcolonialism and some buildings date back to the 1840s.However most of the houses were constructed in the last50 years. The current set up of the Village is characterisedby the location of public facilities along Church Street,including the school, the Garrison Church, the clinic, theClub House and the post office. The Village alsoaccommodates the Residency and Dutch ReformedParsonage (Guesthouse), the Anglican Parsonage, and theMale and Female Asylums. The area of the shop in the eastof the Village is regarded as the centre of the Village. Thereis a petrol pump, a swimming pool and a playground withmini-golf in close proximity to the shop. The residential,single-storey houses are concentrated on the western sideof Church Street and around the sports field.

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Airstrip built during World War Two

Medium B as it is today

The Administration Block

View of Boundary Road showing the cricket ground and the village in the background

Quarries Quarries are amongst the most important features of thelandscape of Robben Island and contribute considerablyto the significance of the site. There are 20 quarries recordedon the Site Register Database for the Island. Many of theseare concealed by vegetation, and some have been filledin. The history of the three largest quarries is known, whilethe rest are obscured by poor documentation.

The oldest quarry is the Jan van Riebeeck Quarry – or Janse Gat (Jan’s Hole) – situated to the southeast of the Island.It is said that the quarry was opened and extensively minedfor slate at the time of Jan van Riebeeck from 1652,employing forced labour. The slate was used in constructionworks in the emerging European settlement at the Capethat today is Cape Town. This quarry continued to beworked intermittently for 300 years until 1963 when it wasclosed, but not before the early political prisoners kept atthe Ou Tronk and MSP had been forced to work there.

The Bluestone (slate) Quarry, situated on the northwestcoast of the Island, was also started in the 17th century. Afterthe closure of the Jan van Riebeeck Quarry in 1963, miningoperations were stepped up at the Bluestone Quarry withan increasingly large number of political prisoners enduringforced labour there. The Bluestone Quarry is a place ofharrowing accounts of warder brutality against the prisoners.Due to the winter storms and high seas the prisoners wereforced to build a dyke or wall to protect the quarry from thesea, using stone, grit and sand. In 2001 the wall was breachedduring a maritime storm and the opening has since widenedinto a substantial gap in the wall. A study has been carriedout with a view to repairing it – the lack of its repair so farhas been a major concern particularly to those ex-politicalprisoners who worked in it.

The Limestone Quarry is a large excavation located inland,southwest of Murray’s Bay Harbour. Lime was first quarriedhere during the Dutch colonial period. From 1963, politicalprisoners from the general section were deployed to workthere. However, they were soon replaced by inmates fromthe isolation cells of B-Section who worked there for manyyears. The glare of the limestone and the dust thrown upin the quarrying process caused permanent damage to theprisoners’ eyes.13 Much of the limestone excavated fromthis quarry was used to surface the roads on the Island,giving them their characteristic shimmering glare.

The northern side of the Limestone Quarry was partiallyfilled by the prison authorities in the late 1980s, as wasthe practice on the mainland. At the entrance of the quarrythere is an isivivane (a cairn of stones commemorating thepolitical prisoners of the apartheid era on Robben Island).This was created by ex-political prisoners, led by Mandela,during their 1995 reunion. This is a commemoration of theday-to-day activities that prisoners had to endure and plotsone of the routes that political prisoners were forced towalk.

Prison-to-worksite-pathways: cultural routesDuring the 1960s and 1970s political prisoners were routinelymarched from the prison to worksites along designatedpathways. It is possible to trace the pathway linking theMSP with the Bluestone Quarry and there are also oralrecords of this pathway and others used during this period.The path to the Bluestone Quarry was a narrow passagewaycompletely caged with fencing on the sides and top. It wasmade from diamond-mesh wire mounted on timber posts.Today the structures are no more, although stumps, whichare the remains of the posts can still be seen. However,it is reported that earlier on there was a trench that linkedthe prison to the Bluestone Quarry. The prisoners wereherded to the quarry by warders and there were dogs on-guard on the sides of this passageway. It is reported thatthe warders would often exploit such moments to tauntand mistreat the prisoners.

There were many other routes that led to different parts ofthe prison, such as the Limestone Quarry, the BambooFactory, Landbou, the Ou Tronk, the dumping site, theharbour, and the Visitors’ Centre, among others (see theInterpretation Plan in Addendum 4).

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Jan van Riebeeck Quarry or ‘Jan se Gat’

Bluestone Quarry

Limestone Quarry

INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE ISLANDThe use of the Island over time led to the introduction ofnew infrastructure to meet the needs of its inhabitants. Ineach historical period new infrastructures were developedthat have formed different cultural landscapes. Much ofthis infrastructure remains intact and retains elements ofits historical past.

The infrastructure of Robben Island was originally madeto serve a very restricted group of people. However, fromservicing a restricted prison environment, the existinginfrastructure must now accommodate an increased numberof staff, residents and visitors. Today, some of theinfrastructure has been upgraded in order to accommodatethe increased visitor numbers and the new use of RobbenIsland.

RoadsRobben Island has currently an extensive network of roads.Several of these roads have been upgraded in order toaccommodate the requirements of the Island’s new role.Four types of road surfaces are present:

• Black tar;• White stone and bitumen;• Interlocking cement pavers;• Crushed limestone.

It is important to note that only the roads that supportRobben Island’s current operations have been upgraded.Most of the internal network of roads on the Island haveremained in their original condition so as to support theproposed walking tours and retain the integrity of the originalsurface treatment.

Murray’s Bay HarbourRecently the breakwater was reinforced and extended tomake the harbour safe for vessels berthed there in stormyweather and to ensure the protection and continuation ofworking harbour operations. A T-jetty with a floating sectionattached to the main quay was introduced to enable easieraccess for physically challenged people in order to meetthe principle of universal access.

WaterThere is a desalination plant at Robben Island that producesup to 500 000 litres of potable water per day. The storagecapacity on the Island is currently 2,5 million litres of water,which is also available for fire fighting. Due to the upgradingof the desalination plant the groundwater is now able torecharge and in the future could be used for irrigation oncethe aquifer has recharged itself.

EnergyThe Island has its own power supply system and at presentfive 275 kilowatt (KV) generators provide for the electricityneeds of the Island. Almost half of the power used isconsumed at the desalination plant. However, electricalpower is increasingly being recognised as critical to thedevelopment of Robben Island in many other areas. Theoverall objective is to develop a comprehensive energystrategy of reducing dependence on fossil fuels, increasingthe use of renewable energy sources (solar, wind andwaves), and focusing generally on energy efficiency.

Waste managementTwo streams of waste are currently being generated onthe Island, namely solid waste and water-borne waste.Solid waste is collected by DPW and deposited at anofficially designated waste site on the Island. From herean appointed contractor removes it to a registered site onthe mainland. Water-borne sewage is captured in aninterceptor sewer line and transferred to a single pointwhere the effluent is macerated before being dischargedinto the ocean. This marine outfall has been authorised bythe Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) andis subject to permit conditions. The outfall has been inoperation for a number of years and complies with thepermit conditions.

CONCLUSIONThe cultural landscapes described in this chapter provideevidence of the impact of different occupations on RobbenIsland. The tangible and intangible elements that havebeen described are important features that contribute tothe significance of Robben Island. These features includenumerous cultural routes or pathways embedded on RobbenIsland and enhance the uniqueness of the Island as aWHS. A key issue that emerges is the importance ofretaining the significance of the heritage resource andproviding excellence in heritage management.

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View of road in MSP period

ENDNOTES1 - Deacon, H., ‘The Medical Institutions on Robben Island 1846-1931in H. Deacon (ed), The Island: A History of Robben Island 1488-1990,Cape Town: Mayibuye Books and David Philip, 1996, p. 55.2 - Found during digging of trench for infrastructural upgrade in 2001.3 - Deacon, H., ‘Leprosy and racism at Robben Island’, in E. VanHeyningen (ed), Studies in the History of Cape Town vol. 7. CapeTown: University of Cape Town, 1994, p. 49.4 - A computerised inventory was compiled by the Genealogical Societyin 2004.5 - Ross, N., ‘Robben Island, 500 Years of South African History’,unpublished manuscript, c1999, p. 180.6 - Maps of Robben Island, 1895 and 1903.7 - Penn, N., ‘The Island under Dutch Rule’, in H. Deacon (ed), TheIsland: A History of Robben Island 1488-1990, Cape Town: MayibuyeBooks and David Philip, 1996, p. 31.8 - Lucien le Grange Architects: ‘Robben Island Conservation Plan’,2000.9 - Riley, P., ‘Conservation Survey of Robben Island’, NationalMonuments Council, 1993, see 6.14.10 - Degaussing involves circling the ship with a current-carrying cableof sufficient capacity to neutralise the ship’s magnetism and thereforeit would not attract magnetic mines.11 - Davey, A., ‘Robben Island and the military 1931-1960, in H.Deacon (ed), The Island: A History of Robben Island 1488-1990, CapeTown: Mayibuye Books and David Philip, 1996, p. 83.12 - Alcott Blow interview by A. Adriaan, 28/11/1998.13 - Ross, N., Robben Island, p. 192.

View of road as they are currently