Governance and management challenges in establishing Robben Island as a National Museum and a World Heritage Institution in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This article focuses on the governance and management challenges in establishing Robben Island as a world class National Museum and a World Heritage Site. The first democratically elected government of South Africa identified it to be established as a National Museum and World Heritage site. Robben Island conjures in the minds of South Africans, images of the hardship and suffering brought about by the apartheid system of the previous regime. Over the past twenty-seven years, RIM had been beset with governance and management challenges and received continual bad publicity. The article provides an understanding of what the major governance and managerial challenges were and makes recommendations to improve the management of the museum, based on the findings that emanated from the study.