It’s an important month as it is tourism and heritage month and we are buzzing and ready to explore new and old things that the country has to offer.
It’s been a long run of being ‘captive’ in our homes, but things are back to normal and adventure is on everyone’s minds.
“You can see that more tourists and travellers are heading to the Mother City. The City of Cape Town estimated that as many as 5 000 foreign visitors landed at the airport daily in the week before the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Summer is almost here, and it looks like it will be a very busy and gorgeous holiday season,” says Wahida Parker, managing director of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC).
She explains that the recent maintenance on the cable cars that shut them down for five weeks, will ensure visitors have an unforgettable experience.
“My team and I understand all too clearly the kind of responsibility that rests on our shoulders as an operator in such a rich natural setting. We play an important role as a steward of this timeless and world-renowned iconic landmark,” Parker said.
Table Mountain is estimated to be over 200 million years old, with some rocks around the base estimated at 500 million years old.
It has helped shape Cape Town and South Africa’s history, tracing some of its roots back to the Stone Age, making it the perfect place to visit during this important month.
There’s so much more to it than just being a beautiful site: to the Khoisan, Table Mountain was known as Hoerikwaggo, meaning 'mountain in the sea'.
“Table Mountain belongs to everyone and should act as a reminder for all of us to celebrate our heritage as a nation – one that is filled with culture, tradition, and diversity,” said Parker.
According to Parker, the only way up the iconic mountain was by foot, and in the late 1870s, many of Cape Town’s more prominent citizens had suggested the introduction of a railway to the top.
“The plan was initially to build a funicular railway to the top. The arrival of the First World War put a spanner in those plans, which later changed to a cable-car type service such as the one we see in operation today.
“As we welcome visitors back to our country and the Mother City, we are excited to see people come back and explore the magnificence that the mountain has to offer. Table Mountain is part of who we are as a nation – it is part of all our heritage,’’ Parker concludes.
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