Cultural Affairs and Sport
Question by:
Hon Reagen Allen
Answered by:
Hon Anroux Marais
Question Number:
15
Question Body:
With respect to the Robben Island Museum (RIM):
- Whether there have been any efforts by her Department to acquire a mandate to manage the budget and support operations of the RIM; if so, (a) what are the relevant details and (b) what was the outcome and (c) what was the response from the RIM and/or the national Department responsible for RIM’s management;
- what is the capacity of her Department to support and manage the budget and operations of the RIM?
Answer Body:
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport is mandated in terms of schedule 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 with the exclusive provincial legislative competence for museums, other than national museums. Robben Island Museum is a declared national institution in terms of section 3 of the Cultural Institutions Act No. 119 of 1998 and is listed under schedule 1 of the aforementioned act. The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport has made several attempts to assist the Robben Island Museum. Amongst these are:
- The Department has included the Robben Island Prison Landscape as one of the three sites on the Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route (RLHR) project in order to increase national and international awareness of this site.
- The Department via its Heritage Resources Management unit has also a conducted site visit with representatives of the National Heritage Council and heritage consultants to identify potential maintenance and conservation initiatives on the island. This process is ongoing.
15(2) The mandate to manage the budget and support operations of the Robben Island Museum unfortunately fall outside of the Department’s jurisdiction.
Date:
Friday, April 30, 2021
