Statement by Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities on the Robben Island

Minister Winde, who is responsible for tourism in the Western Cape, yesterday (17 September 2017) visited the V&A Waterfront to meet with the skipper of the Thandi.

The vessel, which ferries tourists to Robben Island, started taking water on Friday afternoon around 2pm. Passengers and crew were rescued and brought to safety. 

Minister Winde's full statement below:

I would like to commend all those involved for their management of this incident.

The crew of the Thandi immediately radioed for assistance, and there was a swift response from key rescue teams. The NSRI was on scene, once again delivering a world-class service. The NSRI emergency team evacuated passengers to the Madiba 1 vessel, which also speedily heeded the distress call.

I am thankful that none of the passengers or crew were injured during this incident.

Tourism is one of our biggest economic drivers, sustaining more than 200 000 jobs in our province. We offer visitors a range of unique and diverse experiences. This is why international spend has grown by R4 billion in three years. Central to our commitment to service excellence is being able to respond appropriately when things go wrong.

We know our Cape of Storms can be unpredictable. That is why it is critical that we have the necessary risk response plans in place. Because of their own preparedness, the skipper and crew were able to act swiftly and professionally.