Cape Town - The body of a 61-year-old man has been found at the bottom of one of Table Mountain’s most treacherous paths.
Kogalien Moodley, interim commander for Wilderness Search and Rescue, said the Noordhoek man, who could not be identified until his family had been informed of his death, was a regular hiker and well-known for traversing various trails on his own.
The hiker set off from the Kloof Nek parking lot on Monday morning.
“He sent (his friends) an SMS letting them know he was going up and where he was planning to walk… They used to get angry with him and confronted him because he would usually go up alone and not tell anyone,” said Moodley.
By Tuesday morning, his friends began to worry as attempts to contact him were unsuccessful. They found his car was still in the parking lot and alerted local police and rescue services.
As night began to fall, a passersby spotted a body lying between the jagged rocks and bushes running below a precarious pass in an area known as Grotto Ravine. Air Mercy Services spokeswoman Venessa Horn said an EMS/AMS helicopter had collected the body and picked up the rescuers at around 9.30am on Wednesday.
The body was identified as that of the man who is reportedly a Swiss national who has been living in South Africa for a number of years.
While Moodley said the cause of death was being investigated, it was likely that he had slipped and fallen.
“He’s unlikely to be attacked in this area.”
Table Mountain Watch founder Andre van Schalkwyk said the pass running above the ravine was incredibly dangerous.
He pointed out that while the drop wasn’t significant, a broken leg or a head injury could seal a hiker’s fate.
“He may not have died instantly, and could have been up there for hours before he died due to exposure or shock.”
He recommended that hikers never attempt to tackle the pass alone.
Police spokesman Colonel Tembinkosi Kinana said they had opened an inquest docket into the cause of his death.
Cape Argus