An exodus of senior staff from Robben Island Museum (RIM) has left the World Heritage Site in disarray on the eve of peak tourism season in Cape Town.
Several recent resignations came on the back of tension within the executive team led by CEO Abigail Thulare, appointed in November 2021. Two of Thulare’s five executives have resigned in the past two months in addition to 22 staff during the 2023/24 reporting period. But Thulare insists the tension is due to efforts to get RIM back on track after years of turmoil.
Members of staff, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the exodus was particularly concerning in light of an increased visitor target of 300,000 for the financial year. The island received 247,530 visitors during the previous financial year.
Sources said the understaffed and “toxic” workplace was beset with stalled projects and procurement delays, as well as ongoing challenges with ticketing and ferry services.
Leaked documents and correspondence seen by the Sunday Times confirm staff concerns were raised with both the museum council and department of sport, arts & culture (DSAC).
A “handover report” submitted to the CEO and COO by a departing senior member of staff, dated August, described demotivating council interference in operational matters. Another letter sent to the DSAC by a departing senior manager described the work environment as “incredibly toxic, blame is always shifted away from leadership and the morale is low”.
“Management and staff are made out to be incompetent and the environment is one of micromanagement and a dictatorship. If one speaks their mind then they are labelled as insubordinate or processes are instituted to force them out. Many staff are on antidepressants or anxiety medication,” the letter said.
Thulare was accused, in correspondence by a senior staff member, of creating an intimidating work environment.
Thulare this week said her critics could well be those opposed to the current turnaround strategy adopted by Council in 2022 whose term is ending 30 June 2025. This requires full and continued commitment in achieving the agreed deliverables with Council which is a mandate that we have been delivering and is monitored on a quarterly basis by Council. I am committed to continuing to deliver on the mandate which is not only a commitment to RIM but to SA and the world given that RIM is a World Heritage Site, a site of memory. We look forward to continuing with this positive trajectory.
The concerns have prompted division within the council, chaired by Saths Cooper. An email sent to Cooper last week by a council member warned of a potential “dereliction of duty” should the council not act on some of the issues raised, in particular the “bleeding” of senior staff. It also raised concerns about the performance assessment process relating to the CEO.
Cooper did not respond to queries.
“There's an administrative problem at RIM which has led to the collapse of governance and the exodus of senior staff ... Since the resignation of the CHO [chief heritage officer], Tshimangadzo Nemaheni, and the heritage manager, which resulted in the collapse of many departments, a number of them followed, citing governance issues,” said the Association of Ex-Political Prisoners (AEPP) secretary-general, Mpho Masemola, speaking in his personal capacity.
“The ex-political prisoners have made tremendous contributions in the past three years in the fight against malfeasance and corruption at RIM. We cannot be in the same situation again, we cannot be failed by the council again.”
Problems within senior management were affecting operational plans, according to staff representatives who raised concerns last month at a meeting with senior management. Incidents raised with management include:
- One of the Island’s ferries, Krotoa, was temporarily stuck on the port’s synchro lift, allegedly due to nonpayment to Transnet National Port Authority;
- Delayed payments to contractors due to supply chain issues, resulting in project delays;
- Nonpayment of student bursaries; and
- Delays in a flagship project at the museum's office at the V&A Waterfront.
RIM told the Sunday Times an organisational review was under way and the council was considering how to resolve internal staff disputes. The overall financial position had improved substantially since Thulare's appointment, it said.
RIM acknowledged staff turnover but said it was 'primarily the expiry of contracts and voluntary resignations'
Operational challenges were due largely to circumstances beyond their control. “The items within the procurement plan that could not be implemented were mainly due to an unresponsive market when tenders were advertised,” RIM said. A moratorium on student bursaries was implemented by the previous council, while the Jetty 1 museum project was delayed by a review. Another project — to celebrate 30 years of democracy — was deferred due to competing demands of the national elections.
Ferry, ticketing and supply chain problems were being addressed, with an improvement in ferry availability, said RIM. “As part of improving governance, RIM managed to strengthen its overall internal controls specifically within supply chain management where it was instrumental in achieving a clean audit for the first time since 2016.”
But the pains exceed the gains, according to some current and former staff. “The organisation is hanging on by a thread. In terms of the working capacity, if we are more than 50% then it will be by luck. Council doesn’t seem to be interested in solving these issues,” said one staffer. “The rate at which people are leaving the organisation is very alarming.”
RIM acknowledged staff turnover but said it was “primarily the expiry of contracts and voluntary resignations”. The organisational review would include “an assessment of the organisational climate, specifically the people-oriented climate, which will look at interpersonal relations between employees,” said RIM.
In its latest annual report the museum acknowledged ongoing frustration with the ferry service. “The insufficient vessel capacity negatively impacts RIM’s operations and reputation.” It also acknowledged the “inefficiency and ineffectiveness in programmes delivery” due to some staff lacking the necessary skills.
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