Robben Island Museum’s (RIM) embattled CEO Abigail Thulare has been redeployed amid an investigation into her managerial conduct.
Documents in the possession of the Sunday Times show she was removed from her post following the intervention of sport, arts & culture minister Gayton McKenzie, who met with the RIM council to discuss allegations against Thulare, who has now been seconded to head the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).
“Following my engagement with the council on matters relating to the CEO, this letter serves to confirm our discussions and the concurrence of the council to allow the CEO to be seconded to the NFVF while council is dealing with investigating the allegations," McKenzie said in a memo to RIM council chair Prof Saths Cooper on January 2.
“This secondment is to be effective from January 6. The duration of this transfer will end once the NFVF has appointed its permanent CEO, and this process is not anticipated to take longer than three months to complete. I trust that the council shall find this in order.”
The secondment was confirmed in an internal memo from Cooper to staff on Monday. The memo said COO Jonty Tshipa would act as CEO pending the outcome of the investigation.
“Kindly provide the necessary assistance to the acting CEO during this crucial period, and your full co-operation with the ensuing investigation,” Cooper wrote.
Last year, Thulare faced internal revolt and severe criticism about her management style. However, she insists she has done nothing more than try to enforce a turnaround strategy for the island following years of under-performance under the previous management. She has previously said she was being unfairly targeted due to these efforts.
Contacted this week, she referred queries about her reported secondment to the two government entities involved. “I would not want to be involved as it is a matter between the RIM council and the department of sport, arts & culture and, therefore, request that you direct the questions to both RIM and the department.”
Cooper told the Sunday Times: “Ms Abigail Thulare, being seconded to the [NFVD], which is also an entity of the department of sports, arts & culture: we hereby confirm the secondment.
“We trust this will allow for the investigation into the allegations, which you have already covered, to be concluded. In order to ensure business continuity, the current COO, Dr Jonty Tshipa, has been appointed as the acting CEO.”
Cooper highlighted RIM’s stellar performance so far this year during peak season.
“It is noteworthy that since the beginning of 2025, RIM has hosted a record 1,600 visitors daily, and we’re on track to achieve 90% of our projected targets for the quarter ending December 2024. This in the main, is attributed to the commitment by all RIM staff, and the introduction of a hybrid ferry model as well as RIM being a solid national, continental and world heritage site,” he said.
The NFVF could not to reached for comment. the sport, arts & culture department confirmed that Thulare had been seconded to the NFVF pending the council's finalisation of its investigations. "The minister formally made this request to the council to allow a fair investigation process," the department said.
RIM this week played host to the ANC's 113th birthday celebration which featured several senior politicians, including President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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