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The DA has received some reports from staff at the Robben Island Museum (RIM) that the museum is still not being properly managed.

According to staff at the RIM the Interim CEO of the museum, Henry Bredekamp, is hardly ever on the island to properly manage and oversee its day-to-day operations. It is alarming that Bredekamp was appointed by the Minister of Arts and Culture, to manage such a labour and time-intensive enterprise, while at the same time being CEO of Iziko museum.

The DA will be submitting questions about the CEO's dual role, asking the minister to set out how much time he dedicates to each job, whether he receives two salaries and how he determines his priorities.

RIM staff also reported to the DA that a new council has still not been appointed, which means Bredekamp reports only to the minister as there is no council to assist and oversee in his decision-making. This means that there is no oversight mechanism in place to ensure that the CEO and minister as executives make proper decisions with regard to the museum's functions. The fact that the minister has not made any real moves to appoint a new council is in contradiction to a DA parliamentary question where the minister stated that a new board would be appointed by the end of July 2009.

There have been significant improvements to the financial management of the RIM, as evidenced by the Auditor-General's 2009 report on the institutions' financial management. This is to be welcomed and is, no doubt, in large part due to the fact that those responsible for the poor management and maladministration of the museum in the past have resigned. There remain, however, a number of significant problems. Chief among these is continued irregular, wasteful and fruitless expenditure. These problems need to be urgently addressed if the museum's new course of action is to be maintained.

The lack of action on the part of the minister indicates that the department is not really committed to a meaningful turnaround at the museum. Urgent steps need to be taken to correct the problems mentioned and to prevent the museum's regression to its former disgraceful state.

The running of the Robben Island Museum has too long been used as a tool for the furthering of former prisoners' interests, the museum does not ‘belong' to former prisoners, neither to the minister nor the department or the ANC - it belongs not only to the South African public, but also the entire world in its status as a World Heritage site.