Cape Town - World Heritage Site and historic tourist attraction Robben Island Museum (RIM) has temporarily closed its doors to the public as part of its seasonal operational maintenance.
According to its management team, all tours to and from RIM have been cancelled due to the scheduled maintenance of its main boat, the Krotoa, which is currently synchro-lifted as per its routine schedule.
The museum, which closed on Wednesday this week, is set to resume its operations on Monday, June 24.
In a statement, the museum revealed that while it had previously made provisions for its operations to remain active, it had unfortunately encountered challenges that would see it unable to keep its door open for the duration of its main boat’s maintenance.
RIM spokesperson Sabelo Mzanywa said maintaining the Krotoa is part of a class requirement as per the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa).
He said: “Having known that our main boat would be out of service for a few days, we had arranged with our two chartered boats to fill the gap during this period. Unfortunately, the alternative chartered boats we had commissioned to fill the gap encountered technical breakdowns beyond our ability to access them just as they were due to assume their scheduled tasks.”
Mzanywa said RIM sincerely apologised for any inconvenience its temporary closure had caused.
“While we yearn for the numbers, we are missing out due to the necessary cancellation. We are still pleased by the commitment of our compliance officers to ensure routine maintenance and adherence to compliance are uncompromised,” he said.
“The disruption in operations is necessary as we must adhere to the set requirements of Samsa and most importantly, the safety of our clients and tourists,” Mzanywa said.