Drakensberg Cable Car
Not provide the typical Cape Town thing of quick up, take your photo, and down again. That is bordering on a theme ride and cheap entertainment.
It doesn't make sense to me to construct a permanent structure and dragging hundreds of tourists up there. How will they get those sort of numbers in that remote part of the country.
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They will surely have to build a restaurant at the top like they have on top of Table Mountain and at Hartebeestpoort Dam. If you build a cable car, to not build a restaurant would just be illogical. Its the one thing that would almost certainly be profitable (aside from security costs as looting would be a risk).
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A thought I want to put out for now is that around the results of the survey conducted in 2005. The results of this survey were positively in favour of the cable car. Yet most comments Ive read from the public, be it on Facebook, forums (not just this one) and responses to media articles, are strongly opposed. I find this a very interesting contrast!
By the way, there is an existing Facebook poll: Should there be a cable car in the Drakensberg? So far 79 have voted No, and 8 have voted Yes.
www.facebook.com/questions/10150859039659118/
I like to make an appeal that everyone help by re-sharing the link on FB and encourage your friends to consider the proposal and cast their votes. Make sure they understand to vote and not just comment NO.
In closing for now, a question I'd like to put out there: how many sustainable jobs should R500 million realistically be creating?
Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
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"Possible Linkages to Lesotho and the Free State
A number of possible linkages to Lesotho and the Free State have been identified for the
cableway project:
Cableway can be extended from Mount Amery to Mont-aux-Sources on the Lesotho
border (5.5kms). This will require passports and establishment of border controls and
will cost an additional 60% of the initial capital outlay.
4x4 track exists from Lesotho border to the Afriski snow skiing resort (about 20kms
away) and these can be upgraded to link the cable car with the A1 through Lesotho.
Potential for tourists from KwaZulu-Natal to access a day’s skiing in Lesotho and
return via cableway back to base or overnight at Afriski in Lesotho and return the
next day"
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Might have a go at running a proper 5 year simulation on the business to calculate how the numbers come out.
I think that would generate a bigger outcry than the current proposal.Stijn wrote: What has concerned me most in that report are the following suggestions:
...
Cableway can be extended from Mount Amery to Mont-aux-Sources on the Lesotho
border (5.5kms). This will require passports and establishment of border controls and
will cost an additional 60% of the initial capital outlay.
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Assumptions:
- R400m option is taken
- R500k in vehicle requirements
- R50k in furniture and fittings/office equipment
- R2m for a restuarant/cafe on top, including oven etc
- 250 000 adults and 150 000 children per year
- there will be a cafe/restuarant where 200 000 people will spend R50 each year
- Running costs are R15m per year
- R3.5m will be the cost of running the cafe
- R600k rental cost for the land
- R100k per year audit fee
- R120k advertising
- R4m insurance
- R50k motor vehicle expenses
- R50k printing and stationery
- R14m R&M as per feasibility study
- R1.2m security
- R60k telephone
- 30 staff members as per feasibility study
- R40m is equity funded
- Rest is through instalment sales at 9%
This is very rough. As you can see, in year 5 the company makes its first profit - but is still insolvent by over R5m. Btw the income tax income is deferred tax income (tax for accounting purposes) - it actually makes the numbers look better.
Disclaimer
The above and attached does not constitute advice, a service or any other product. I have not audited the figures, nor have I performed a due diligence on them and accordingly I express no assurance on the above or any other related information.
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www.citypress.co.za/news/drakensberg-cable-car-debate-is-back/
They got the statistics wrong the whole lightning strike thing, but anyway.
Note once again the comments on the News24 article: people are against the idea!
Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
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Regards
Selous
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I see we are up to 145 votes, 11 for 134 against.
In the feasibility study they quoted 750 people surveyed, so it would be nice if we could get to 200 at least. There will always be a bias in our results due to the less than scientific method of a facebook poll, but the resorts should be bringing in votes on people who love the Berg, but don't enjoy hiking or aren't fit enough to hike to the top.
@everyone who is on fb but hasn't voted, please vote, we won't hold it against you if you are pro the cablecar and vote in favour Please also share the poll, the more votes we get, the more reliable the results will be.
The poll is at: www.facebook.com/questions/10150859039659118/
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