South African couples wed at Mandela's former prison

By Shu’eib Hassen

CAPE TOWN

In what has become a tradition staged at one of apartheid’s darkest relics, 16 couples wed on South Africa’s Robben Island on Sunday.

The former prison island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years, has hosted weddings every Valentine’s Day for the last four years.

“So many great leaders struggled… for freedom here,” newlywed Margreth Tadik told Anadolu Agency. “Their history lives here. Their history lives through us. Perhaps my husband and I will be able to have a child to lead the country.”

A prison operated on the island, which lies off Cape Town, from the 17th century but it is between 1961 and 1991 that it gained notoriety as the jail of apartheid’s most troublesome political prisoners.

“Marriage is sign of commitment and this is where late President Nelson Mandela and President Jacob Zuma spent their years committing themselves all for the love of our nation,” bridegroom Manoko Somo said. “So getting married here ensures our success in life,” he added.

Couples were ferried from Cape Town to the island, where they married in a small whitewashed chapel dating to 1841.

Deputy Home Affairs Minister Fatima Chohan officiated at each of this year’s nuptials alongside a priest.

“Apartheid destroyed our families,” she told Anadolu Agency. “It is up to each of us to start building up these marriages.”

Pascall Taruvinga, chief heritage officer, said the island now served as a national monument to peace, love, and reconciliation. “In our collective representation as a heritage site we encourage people to reconcile their love on the island,” he said.

“It has become our flagship program every Feb. 14 to hold mass wedding ceremonies.”