Maximum Security Prison is an inactive prison at

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afr ...

in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometers (4.3 mi) west of the coast of

Bloubergstrand Bloubergstrand is a seaside suburb of the City of Cape Town, South Africa, along the shores of Table Bay, due north of the city centre of Cape Town. The name Bloubergstrand literally means "blue mountain beach" in Afrikaans, and is derived fr ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

. It is prominent because

Nobel Nobel often refers to: *Nobel Prize, awarded annually since 1901, from the bequest of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel Nobel may also refer to: Companies *AkzoNobel, the result of the merger between Akzo and Nobel Industries in 1994 *Branobel, or ...

Laureate and former

President of South Africa The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of South Africa and is the commander-in-chief of the South African Nation ...

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

was imprisoned there for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. After that, three former inmates of this prison

Kgalema Motlanthe Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe (; born 19 July 1949) is a South African politician who was South Africa's third president between 25 September 2008 and 9 May 2009, following Thabo Mbeki's resignation. Thereafter, he was deputy president under Jacob Zu ...

, and

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-apart ...

have gone on to become President of South Africa. It is a South African National Heritage Site as well as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

History

Beginning in 1961, Maximum Security Prison was used by the

South African government The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa. Executive authority ...

for political prisoners and convicted criminals. The maximum security prison for political prisoners closed in 1991 and the medium security prison for criminal prisoners was closed five years later in 1996.Chronology
, Robben Island Museum website, retrieved 8 June 2013

List of former prisoners

Neville Alexander Neville Edward Alexander (22 October 1936 – 27 August 2012) was a proponent of a multilingual South Africa and a former revolutionary who spent ten years on Robben Island as a fellow-prisoner of Nelson Mandela. Early life Alexander was born i ...

, proponent of a multilingual South Africa and former revolutionary * Autshumato (probably around 1625 – 1665), one of the first activists against colonialism, and a Robben Island prisoner from 1658 to around 1660. * Imam Abdallah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam (also known as

Tuan Guru Tuan may refer to: *Brush-tailed phascogale, an Australian marsupial animal also known as tuan *Zaiyi (1856–1923), Prince Duan (or Prince Tuan), a Qing Dynasty prince and statesman *Duan (surname), a Chinese surname spelled as Tuan in the older ...

), imprisoned from 1780 until 1793 for his anti-colonial activities against the Dutch. * Dennis Brutus, former activist and poet *

Patrick Chamusso Patrick Chamusso (born in 1949 in Mozambique) is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) party of South Africa who participated in the militant actions of the organization during the apartheid era. One of three sons, Patrick came to ...

, former activist of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

* Laloo Chiba, former accused at Little Rivonia Trial * Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, South African anti-apartheid activist of Indian-origin and member of the ANC's armed wing Umkhonto We Sizwe. * Eddie Daniels, anti-apartheid activist * Jerry Ekandjo, Namibian politician * Nceba Faku, former Metro Mayor of Port Elizabeth * Joe Gqabi, former ANC activist * Harry Gwala, former ANC activist * Nkwenkwe Nkomo, South African politician activist * Petrus Iilonga, Namibian trade unionist, activist and politician * Ahmed Kathrada, former Rivonia Trialist and long-serving prisoner * Koesaaij, Malagasy co-leader of the ''Meermin'' slave mutiny in February, 1766 * Langalibalele, The King of the Hlubi people, one of the first activists against colonialism * John Kenneth Malatji, former activist and special forces of ANC – Tladi, Soweto *

Njongonkulu Ndungane Njongonkulu Winston Hugh Ndungane (born 2 April 1941) is a retired South African Anglican bishop and a former prisoner on Robben Island. He was the Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman and Archbishop of Cape Town. Early life Ndungane was born in ...

, later to become Archbishop of Cape Town * Mosiuoa Lekota, imprisoned in 1974, President and Leader of the Congress of the People * Mac Maharaj, former accused at Little Rivonia Trial *

Makana Makana is a mountain located on northern shore of the island of Kauai, Kauai, where it rises above Limahuli Valley. ''Makana'' is a Hawaiian language term meaning gift or reward. It is often used as a person's name or as part of a name. Limahul ...

, one of the activists against colonialism * Vusumzi Make, former PAC activist *

Clarence Makwetu Clarence Mlami Makwetu (6 December 1928 – 1 April 2016) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, politician, and leader of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) during the historic 1994 elections. Personal life Clarence Mlami Makwe ...

, former PAC Activist *

, African National Congress leader and former president of South Africa (first black president) * Gamzo Mandierd, activist *

Jeff Masemola Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson (given name), Jefferson or Jeffrey (given name), Jeffrey, which comes from a Middle Ages, medieval variant of Geoffrey (given name), Geoffrey. Music ...

, the first prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment in the apartheid era *

Amos Masondo Nkosiyakhe Amos Masondo (born 21 April 1953 in Louwsburg) is a South African politician, who has served as the Chairperson of South Africa's National Council of Provinces since 23 May 2019. He was the mayor of the city of Johannesburg, South Afr ...

, former Mayor of Johannesburg * Massavana, Malagasy leader of the ''Meermin'' slave mutiny in February, 1766 *

Michael Matsobane Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, leader of Young African Religious Movement. Sentenced at Bethal in 1979; released by PW Botha in 1987. * Chief Maqoma, former chief who died on the island in 1873 * Govan Mbeki, father of former president of South Africa

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (AN ...

. Govan was sentenced to life in 1963 but was released from Robben Island in 1987 by PW Botha * Wilton Mkwayi, former accused at Little Rivonia Trial * Andrew Mlangeni, former Rivonia Trialist * Johnson Mlambo, former PAC activist *

Murphy Morobe Murphy Morobe (born 2 October 1956) is a historical figure from South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. He started school in Ermelo. Morobe completed Primary School in Soweto and then went to Orlando North Secondary School and Morris Isaacson ...

, Soweto Uprising student leader *

Dikgang Moseneke Dikgang Ernest Moseneke (born 20 December 1947) is a South African judge and former Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa. Biography Moseneke was born in Pretoria and went to school there. He joined the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) at the ag ...

, Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa * Zephania Mothopeng, former PAC activist * Elias Motsoaledi, former Rivonia Trialist *

Sayed Abdurahman Moturu ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhammad' ...

, the Prince of Madura, one of Cape Town's first imams, who was exiled to the island in 1740 and died there in 1754 *

Griffiths Mxenge Griffiths Mlungisi Mxenge (27 February 1935 – 19 November 1981) was born in KwaRayi, a rural settlement outside of King Williams Town, Eastern Cape. He was a civil rights lawyer, a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and a South Af ...

, a South African Lawyer and member of the African National Congress *

Billy Nair Billy Nair (27 November 1929 – 23 October 2008) was a South African politician, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa, an anti-apartheid activist and a political prisoner in Robben Island. Nair was a long-serving political prison ...

, former Rivonia Trialist and ANC/SACP leader *

M. D. Naidoo ( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of resp ...

, a South African lawyer and member of the African National Congress * John ya Otto Nankudhu, Namibian liberation fighter * John Nkosi Serving life but released by PW Botha in 1987 * Samuel Sisulu Founder of South African Freedom Organisation *

Nongqawuse Nongqawuse (; ''c.'' 1841 – 1898) was the Xhosa people, Xhosa prophet whose prophecies led to a millenarianism, millenarian movement that culminated in the history of the Cape Colony from 1806 to 1870#Xhosa cattle-killing movement and famine (1 ...

, the Xhosa prophetess responsible for the Cattle Killing *

Maqana Nxele Makhanda , also spelled Makana and also known as ''Nxele'' ("the left-handed"), ( – 25 December 1819) was a Xhosa witch doctor. He served as a top advisor to Chief Ndlambe. During the Xhosa Wars, on the 22nd of April, 1819, he instigated an ...

, former Xhosa prophet who drowned while trying to escape * John Nyathi Pokela, co-founder and former chairman of the PAC *

Joe Seremane Wetshotsile Joseph Seremane (born 26 August 1938) is a former South African politician and federal chairperson of the country's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA). Seremane started his career as a school teacher in Bekkersdal i ...

, former chairperson of the Democratic Alliance. *

Tokyo Sexwale Mosima Gabriel "Tokyo" Sexwale (; born 5 March 1953) is a South African businessman, politician, anti-apartheid activist, and former political prisoner. Sexwale was imprisoned on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities, alongside figure ...

, businessman and aspirant leader of the African National Congress *

Gaus Shikomba Gaus Shikomba (27 January 1935 - 3 November 2007) was a South West Africa Liberation Army (Swala) intelligence officer who was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1966 to 1984. Military career and imprisonment Shikomba was born in 1935 at Onashiku ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and e ...

n politician * Walter Sisulu, former ANC Activist * Raymond Mhlaba, former ANC Activist and first former

Premier of the Eastern Cape The Premier of the Eastern Cape is the head of government of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The current Premier of the Eastern Cape is Oscar Mabuyane, a member of the African National Congress, who was elected in the 2019 election ...

. *

Stone Sizani Phumelele Stone Sizani (born 2 March 1954) is a South African politician who was, until his resignation on 2 March 2016, a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa and the African National Congress Chief Whip. It has been reported that upon ...

, ANC Chief Whip *

Robert Sobukwe Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe (5 December 1924 – 27 February 1978) was a prominent South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), serving as the first president of the organization. Sobukwe ...

, former leader of the

PAC Pac or PAC may refer to: Military * Rapid Deployment Force (Malaysia), an armed forces unit * Patriot Advanced Capability, of the MIM-104 Patriot missile * Civil Defense Patrols (''Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil''), Guatemalan militia and paramili ...

Seth Mazibuko Seth Mazibuko was born in Orlando, Soweto on 15 June 1960 and was the youngest member of the South African Students' Organisation that planned and led the Soweto uprising. He was arrested in July 1976 at age sixteen. Mazibuko was held in solitary ...

, youngest member of the

South African Students' Organisation The South African Students' Organisation (SASO) was a body of black South African university students who resisted apartheid through non-violent political action. The organisation was formed in 1969 under the leadership of Steve Biko and Barney ...

that planned and led the Soweto uprising * Steve Tshwete, former ANC Activist * Moses Twebe, former ANC Activist * Andimba Toivo ya Toivo,

n politician *

Sakaria Nashandi Sakaria Zaa Nashandi (born 8 July 1949 in Onayena) is a Namibian politician, businessman and an ex-Robben Island political prisoner. He is a recognised National Hero of Namibia for his contributions to the independence of the country. Nashandi att ...

n politician *

, former president of South Africa and leader of the African National Congress * Achmad Cassiem, former leader of the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) and leader of the Qibla movement * Setsiba Paul Mohohlo, former APLA unit commander * Micheal Ludumo Buka, former ANC Activist *

, Former deputy president of the African National Congress and South Africa's third president since the dawn of democracy * John Aifheli Thabo, an ANC political activist * Ezra Mvuyisi Sigwela, an ANC political activist * Xolani Casper Jonas, an ANC political activist * Kwezi Nontsikelo, ANC political activist, Advisor to the Minister of Defence * Kisten Moonsamy, former Rivonia Trialist * Dimitri Tsafendas, Greek-Mozambican lifelong political militant and the assassin of

Prime Minister of South Africa The prime minister of South Africa ( af, Eerste Minister van Suid-Afrika) was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984. History of the office The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of Sout ...

Hendrik Verwoerd Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of ''Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...

* Stephen Dlamini, ANC activist * Peter Mokaba, former ANC Activist *

Vejaynand Ramlakan Lieutenant General Vejaynand Indurjith Ramlakan (September 28, 1957 – August 27, 2020) was a South African military commander. A medical doctor, he served in Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress, durin ...

, former ANC Activist File:Nelson Mandela's cell-Robben Island.jpg, Nelson Mandela's prison cell File:Japhta Masemola (1963-89) (5998332162).jpg, Japhta Masemola's prison cell File:Paul Langa (1977 - 91) (5997933222).jpg, Paul Langa's prison cell File:Thami Mkhwanazi (1980 - 83) (5998332864).jpg, Thami Mkhwanazi's prison cell File:Zahkele Mdlalose (1964 - 74; 77 - 90) (5998331940).jpg, Zahkele Mdlalose's prison cell

Gallery

File:Maximum Security Prison, Robben Island (01).jpg, Prison File:Robben island (3153393075).jpg, Former prison cells and corridor File:B-Section, Maximum Security Prison, Robben Island (01).jpg, Backyard File:Dormitory, Robben Island Maximum Security Prison (01).jpg, Dormitory File:Wash basins, Maximum Security Prison, Robben Island (02).jpg, Wash basins File:Wash basins, Maximum Security Prison, Robben Island (01).jpg, Wash basins File:Communal toilets, Maximum Security Prison, Robben Island (01).jpg, Communal toilets

References

External links

Robben Island Museum

Robben Island – UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Robben Island Museum at Google Cultural Institute
{{Nelson Mandela Defunct prisons in South Africa Apartheid museums History museums in South Africa Museums in Cape Town