Blame game over night at Madiba jail cell auction
Organisers say they informed everyone involved
A war of words has erupted between the Robben Island Museum and the organisers of the annual CEO SleepOut after the initiative attempted to auction a night in Madiba’s cell on Robben Island.
The late president’s foundation also joined the fray, distancing itself from the event and its organisers who encouraged bids of up to R3.4-million for a night where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years.
The CEO SleepOut Trustees, which organises the charity event, yesterday apologised for having offended people .
But the trustees insisted they postponed the event to be in line with their international stakeholders. They said the auction was outlined and clearly communicated with everyone involved .
This came after the Robben Island Museum also lashed out the at the CEO SleepOut group, accusing it of not mentioning the possibility that someone was going to spend a night at the cell.
The Robben Island Museum spokesperson Morongoa Ramaboa said yesterday that the terms and conditions were never finalised. “Nothing was signed. During the negotiations phase they did not mention the possibility of someone spending a night in Mandela’s cell,”Ramaboa said.
“As a World Heritage Site, Robben Island Museum would, under no circumstances, consider auctioning Madiba’s cell. The preservation of our heritage is non-negotiable; it is a key priority for us to safeguard our valuable legacy in order to offer an authentic visitor experience.”
But the trustees said a media launch for the campaign was held on May 10 at ANC headquarters and attended by Ramaboa.
A status update on the RIM Facebook page on May 10 also announced that 67 participants were invited to a “CEO SleepOut” set to take place on July 18. “These C-suite members will have the experience of what it was like being a prisoner, including wearing uniforms, eating what prisoners ate and everything else associated with prison life,” said the group. “On June 4 a media release detailing the auction was distributed to the media and featured in many publications, including the Cape Times,” the trustees said.
Spokesman for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Lunga Nene, said yesterday there was no relation between the organisers of the initiative and the foundation.
“We did not approve anything. We were not involved in the process of coming to that event. So I only know what you know. I read it in the newspapers. I cannot comment any further. It is not a project that is affiliated with us at all‚” said Nene.
Details of the “Robben Island Room Bid” were originally published on the organisation’s website‚ which billed it as a “once in a life [sic] opportunity to sleep in Mandela’s personal cell number 7”.
By Wednesday night, the advert had been removed from the website.