Question NW1949 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
15 June 2022 - NW1949
Joseph, Mr D to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(1)Whether Robben Island Museum (RIM) received any medical (a) claims and (b) reports following the bus accident that occurred on Robben Island on 9 March 2022; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether RIM has implemented all the commitments and/or agreements made from the side of RIM with regard to the accident; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) what steps are in place to ensure that the operations staff receive the RIM tour schedule through various platforms on a daily basis in order to avoid recurrence of the bus accident?
Reply:
RIM has responded in the following manner:
1 (a) RIM received medical claims from the injured parties. The medical claims were submitted to RIM’s insurance provider for assessment through the Risk Manager’s office in order for any due pay-out to be effected.
b) The full incident investigation was conducted and concluded internally. The bus road-worthiness was the only external investigation conducted by the public transport and traffic department and the bus was found to have been fit for purpose at the time of the accident – a report was issued. The incident was also reported to SAPS and a case number was issued.
2) All the actions were implemented with the exception of the following which are in progress:
- RIM has a Substance and Alcohol Abuse Policy in place and enforcement of this policy will be on a shift basis to all relevant staff.
- Breathalysers have been received and calibrated. SHEQ has provided training on the Policy for the security and medics. The Policy will as such be fully implemented once other relevant employees have gone through the workshop.
- The Operations staff are to receive refresher training on the incident management procedure.
Training material for the policy workshop and refresher course on incident management has been prepared and training dates are set to be scheduled during quarter 1 of the 2022/2023 financial period.
3) An effective communication platform is available. Tour schedules are shared daily on various RIM platforms to ensure everyone receives them timeously. The event schedules are also shared via email to all the relevant parties. Management also monitor and evaluate operating procedures regularly to adapt to evolving conditions.