Drakensberg Cable Car

I've been following EIAs for a long time - I once worked at UCT in a department run by the guy who pretty much pioneered the process in South Africa. In that time I've not known of an EIA get in the way of a project. Most of the time EIAs tinker round the edges and try to minimise the damage. But they don't have teeth to stop things, especially when the ANC gravy train is thundering through.

Cable Car on Table Mountain is closed indefinitely due to strong winds according to News24:
traveller24.news24.com/News/Table-Mountain-Cableway-closed-until-further-notice-20150416

A though that has recently occurred to me: if it is possible to build a cable car in the Berg that can handle winds up to around 200km/h, and Table Mountain Cable Car is regularly closed due to wind - why don't they upgrade the Table Mountain one to handle these winds? It pulls 800 000 people every year, surely it would make its money back - if it would be feasible on a cable car in the Berg, why would it not be feasible in Cape Town? [ps. it is hard to convey tone in a post - I am deliberately answering my own question there]

Yes there was but only at the breakfast.

Extracted from

SPEAKING NOTES

MEC FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, MR. MIKE MABUYAKHULU
KWAZULU-NATAL INDABA BREAKFAST
HILTON HOTEL, DURBAN
09 MAY 2015

Path to Greater Growth

• As KwaZulu-Natal, our ambitions of what we want to achieve in the tourism sector are very clear, and in 2014 the KwaZulu-Natal Cabinet approved the Provincial Tourism Master Plan which sets out a clear plan of action and targets over 30 years.

• We want to be globally renowned as Africa’s top beach destination with a unique blend of wildlife and experiences for our visitors by 2030.


• As guided by the Tourism Master Plan, KwaZulu-Natal is developing seven key iconic projects that will make a significant impact in building a thriving tourism sector and enhancing the product offering and experiences on offer in the province:

The Drakensberg Cable Car
• The Drakensberg Cable Car is a 7km long cable car route that will take people to the top of one of our most valuable treasures, the Drakensberg Mountains, over a journey of 22 minutes each way.

• This project is estimated to cost around R500 million and it promises to significantly boost business opportunities for both small and big businesses and subsequently create almost 1 200 jobs.

• Furthermore, it will explore opportunities to open a tourism gateway between KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho and the Free State.

And a clipping from today's Mercury regarding his budget speech. In my experience "Fast track" means dodge all the tricky bits!

Here is the complete speech if you want to wade through it.

On the bright side, the calculations were performed on a R13.50 to the Euro, and it is currently around R13.50 - so, inflation aside, that hasn't changed...

Anyone know if the free holiday, I mean world cable car tour, has actually happened yet?

The world tour is off. However they will convene this conference/workshop which I think is mentioned.