Third time lucky for would-be Robben Island ferry operator?
CAPTIVE MARKET: The Madiba 1 is in the running for a back-up Robben Island ferry tender. The men behind the bid are Bloemfontein businessman Johan van Heerden and ANC veteran Butana Komphela, who is Free State MEC for health IT used to be a place of exile from the mainland.
Now the big fight is to get onto Robben Island, not off it, as two new ferry tenders provoke a tug-of-war over huge commercial spoils.
The boat in the middle of the row is a R60-million 200-seater ferry, Madiba 1, whose shareholders include Butana Komphela, the Free State health MEC.
Komphela chairs a consortium bidding for a back-up ferry contract which is currently shared by several companies based at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
A rival bidder claims the MEC’s political connections could help the consortium secure the deal despite its having failed to deliver on a previous ferry contract — involving a catamaran called Tropico — six years ago.
The consortium is led by businessman Johan van Heerden, who this week insisted his latest ferry was exactly what the island needed to resolve its long-standing service issues.
The state-of-the-art locally built ferry, currently gathering seagulls in Cape Town harbour, has a crew of 13 and can withstand a 70-knot headwind. It even has bulletproof windows “fit for a president”, Van Heerden said.
A second, even more lucrative, tender for a new-build ferry is also in the spotlight after preferred bidder status was awarded to Damen Shipyards. The Sunday Times has established SUN DECK: The Madiba 1 is ready and willing, its owners say; right, Free State ANC veteran Butana Komphela Damen’s bid was about R20-million more than rival bids from Veecraft and Nautic Africa.
Robben Island Museum confirmed the award and said the new boat would take about a year to build. Damen declined to comment.
But it is the back-up contract that has proved problematic in the past, against the backdrop of a floundering ferry service.
Following the Tropico fiasco, Van Heerden made another failed attempt three years ago to get into the Robben Island ferry business with an Australian-built highspeed vessel called the Sea Express II.
This boat now lies abandoned in the harbour after a court case involving unhappy investors.
However, Van Heerden insists Madiba 1 is the real deal. “I still want to do what I started — what I promised my shareholders,” he said.
Van Heerden, who calls Komphela a trustworthy partner and an old friend, said the Madiba 1 would be a huge asset to the island, which has battled with ferry maintenance and ticket backlogs during prime tourist season.
“This will lift Robben Island,” he said, adding that Madiba 1 was the only local ferry with the international High Speed Code of Passenger Safety.
Museum marketing and tourism manager Bongiwe Nzeku said this week she had no issue with Van Heerden’s latest bid.
“When the institution advertises a tender, any prospective bidder is allowed to participate,” Nzeku said. “Our ferry database is open to any service provider who meets our standard prerequisites that are influenced by safety, availability and costs.” However, one ferry stakeholder said because the Madiba 1 was so big, it would have to charge passengers more to be economically viable — and possibly deter tourists from visiting the island. But Van Heerden said his boat was fast and cost-effective. “This is not a cake for me, it’s a cake for everybody. They [the other operators] have had it so long, they don’t want to share.”
Western Cape MEC for economic opportunities Alan Winde said much was at stake. “This is a massive tourism icon. If you get it stuck in courts of law, it just damages the brand,” Winde said.