Posted 30 Nov 2009

Travellers who plan to volunteer abroad in South Africa next year and give something back to local communities amid the World Cup tournament have been urged to pay a visit to Robben Island.

Writing for the Telegraph, Charles Starmer-Smith recommends a trip to the island to discover some of the aspects of the area’s past.

The atoll was home to a notorious prison colony, the writer states, in which Nelson Mandela was held and hard labour and isolation periods were often prescribed to inmates.

However, the country has firmly left these incidents in its past, Mr Starmer-Smith adds, with the last of the prisoners leaving the island 15 years ago.

"Here, former inmates help bring to life the isolation and hardships endured and makes a visit here particularly moving. Mandela’s cell remains untouched to this day," he reveals.

Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years, released in 1990 and accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Category: Africa