Ferry deal scandal hits Robben Island

A whistleblower has accused the Robben Island Museum (RIM) of systemic procurement failures and financial mismanagement.
In an eight-page complaint dated June 22, Johan van Heerden, who says he was appointed by members of the Association of Ex-Political Prisoners (AEPP) as their business partner, alleges that the museum’s executive has repeatedly bypassed procurement rules while failing to honour a 2024 memorandum of agreement with the former prisoners, disregarding a relationship that dates from 2010.

Van Heerden said he had spent the past four years observing the AEPP’s efforts to formalise a ferry services contract with the museum in line with its status as an embedded stakeholder but the efforts had become mired in bureaucracy, while private operators continued to secure contracts.
“However, while the AEPP has been met with a ‘loop of paperwork’, RIM has continued to engage private entities (that’s constantly out of services) — including one previously fined for price collusion — under circumstances that my AEPP partners claim circumvent the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA),” he wrote.
“The loop of promises all these years made by RIM to my AEPP partners never ends, yet private operators are allowed to bypass the very hoops they are forced to jump through.”
Among the allegations, he questions the appointment of Falcon Marine in September 2025 on what he describes as an emergency basis, alleging the arrangement continued for about a year without the required Bid Evaluation Committee and Bid Adjudication Committee approvals.

“Any contract awarded outside of the SCM (Supply Chain Management) committee structure is void ab initio (invalid from the beginning). This opens RIM up to litigation from unsuccessful bidders and investigation by the auditor-general.”
Van Heerden said M/V Madiba 1, one of the ferries transporting visitors between the V&A Waterfront and Robben Island, operated without indemnity insurance between 2022 and 2025 while charging the museum up to R100 000 a trip.
“Had an accident occurred during those initial days, RIM (and the state) would have been 100% liable for damages, potentially leading to catastrophic financial and reputational loss.”
He said the museum abused emergency procurement provisions by extending an initial seven-day emergency appointment of M/V Madiba 1 into an arrangement lasting about a year without a tender process.
“Treasury regulations strictly monitor deviations. If the ‘unavailability’ of vessels was foreseeable, the emergency status is fraudulent. The M/V Sikhululekile, one of RIM’s boats,
has been out of commission for almost five years despite the fact that millions of rands have been spent on maintenance.”
Van Heerden also alleged that the museum breached its memorandum of agreement with the AEPP by favouring third-party operators. “The AEPP has strong grounds for a high court interdict to halt current ferry operations until the terms of the MOA are reviewed or enforced,” he said.
He questioned the museum’s use of Nauticat Charters, saying the company had previously entered into a Competition Tribunal settlement over collusive tendering and price-fixing.
Van Heerden alleges that the museum manipulated procurement processes, bypassed financial controls and ignored fraud findings, resulting in unnecessary expenditure and governance failures.
He has called on Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie to dissolve the museum’s council, suspend implicated executives, order a Special Investigating Unit investigation into ferry contracts and enforce the memorandum of agreement with the AEPP.
“Robben Island belongs to the people of South Africa. It was built on the blood and sacrifice of fathers and brothers. To see it used as a vehicle for ‘under-the-table’ benefits is a disgrace to the memory of Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, other EPPs and thousands of others,” he said.
AEPP secretary Mpho Masemola said he had forwarded Van Heerden’s complaint to parliament’s portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture and to McKenzie’s office.
“You cannot commercialise our heritage and legacy because they are not a private entity. You cannot privatise a service delivery. Those who are involved in unethical conduct, including management, must face the full might of the law,” he added.
Responding to the allegations, the RIM said Van Heerden had been mentioned in forensic reports relating to the purchase of the Krotoa in 2018/19.
It said his business partners, whom he has acknowledged are AEPP members, had also been required to account to forensic investigators.
The museum said it took allegations relating to governance, procurement, financial management and institutional integrity seriously and operated within a strict legislative framework, including the Public Finance Management Act, Treasury regulations and national procurement rules.
It said many of the allegations were either untested or receiving internal attention.
It would allow due process to run its course before commenting further.
The RIM said it had begun an institutional review to strengthen governance, procurement practices and internal controls, while ensuring compliance with the PFMA and other legislation.
“The museum … remains committed to constructive engagement with all legitimate stakeholders, including the Association of Ex-Political Prisoners and other heritage partners, in support of its mandate to preserve and promote one of South Africa’s most significant national heritage sites,” it said.
Joseph McGluwa, the chairperson of the portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture, confirmed that the committee had received the complaint.
“The committee has prioritised this matter for in-depth discussion during the third term,” he said.
“We are aware of the challenges facing the institution. However, the committee has had a heavy workload and several other matters to prioritise, so I do not want to comment on the substance of the allegations at this stage.”
McKenzie’s office did not respond to Sunday World’s enquiries at the time of publication.

Philani Nombembe