Robben Island shouldn't be turned into Disneyland, warns property media specialist

There should be some sort of public participation process to determine what happens with Robben Island Museum's plan to develop tourist accommodation, said Ash Müller, a property media specialist and founder of Ask Ash Media House.

She spoke to CapeTalk's Clarence Ford about her opinion piece titled 'Robben Island is not a place to sleep', which was published in the Mail & Guardian on 19 April 2026, and sparked debate online.

Müller said there's already one house that's been "dolled up and upgraded... for the project as like a pilot".

"I think we must be very cognisant of the fact that some of the prisoners who suffered at this location, they're still alive. You know this is not a distant memory. This is like a very personal, recent thing."

She recalled her tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau museum: "I remember being in the bunker section where a lot of prisoners would've slept together and I remember this family taking a huge, smiling selfie in that exact room where so many people were murdered. And it was just a weird irony for me. It actually didn't sit well with me at all.

"I think when you lose that sense of place, and you erase the meaning, that's when history starts to repeat itself. When you can't remember what happened and why."

Müller said she is actually a huge fan of heritage conversions and repurposing space but this is a very delicate situation.

"This is a UNESCO heritage site, it's not your usual heritage building in town where we're just going to convert it into a contemporary residential block from an office space.

"I just think if you're going to do something like this, there's got to be a heavy educational angle. I think it could be quite incredible if school camps, universities, even a tourist aspect of that but some sort of educational experience where you know it's not about having alcohol, like kind of holiday vibes to it. Rather creating some sort of a shared learning experience. Then I can definitely see the value through that lens."

To listen to the full discussion, click on the media player above.