Mandela’s prison on Robben Island goes solar

Entrance to Robben Island Prison in South Africa where Nelson Mandela was held captive. — AFP

South Africa’s notorious Robben Island prison, where the late president Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and which is now a popular tourist destination, will soon run solely on solar power, the government said.

The Unesco World Heritage Site off the coast of Cape Town will be a pilot project for the conversion to solar power of the country’s national parks, botanical gardens and other heritage sites, Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom told reporters.