Ramaphosa says visit to Mandela's cell on Robben Island reminds him of his own time in prison

CAPE TOWN - African National Congress (ANC) president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said that Nelson Mandela's prison cell at Robben Island reminded him of his own experience behind bars.

ANC leaders visited the island in Cape Town as part of its 113th birthday celebration. 

Despite Ramaphosa having visited Robben Island before, he remains shocked about the conditions the prisoners were forced to endure. 

READ: ANC leaders reflect on traumatic experiences endured by members incarcerated on Robben Island

Ramaphosa entered cell 913 on Robben Island, which contained just three items: a small table, a bucket for toileting, and a mat to sleep on. 

As he sat in the cell, Ramaphosa was quickly reminded of his own time at Pretoria Central Prison where he was incarcerated for six months in 1974. 

"This brings back very sad memories where you just lived by yourself without much to do and in my time, I used to have ants as my friends so I would study the ants as they move across the cell," he said.

He said that conditions at Robben Island were intended to crush the prisoners' spirits.