When in Cape Town it is almost mandatory to take the ferry over to the former prison island of Robben Island. We went on a Saturday which meant that there were vast crowds and it was impossible to view the information boards while waiting in the queue for the ferry, which passed through strict airport-style security checks.
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| Mandela's cell |
Large numbers of political prisoners, almost all black or coloured, were imprisoned here during the apartheid years including, of course, for 16 years, Nelson Mandela.
Cells were Spartan with just a sleeping mat and pot.
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| Exercise yard |
Our guide around the prison block had himself been a prisoner here for around 11 years. His crimes – sabotage, belonging to a banned organization and attempting to leave the country. Being pedantic one could consider that sabotage would be a criminal, rather than a political act. He did briefly describe the types of torture.
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| The quarry |
Life was harsh – one hour in the exercise yard, hard labour in the quarry
All in all, perhaps not as horrific as the Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Andamans, built by the British to house Indian political prisoners.
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| Photo stop |
The bus trip round the island only had one stop - queue up to take a "selfie".
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