Lion’s Head revamp complaints

SANParks has come out in support of sentiments, raised by hikers and members of the public, around the shoddy workmanship done during the refurbishment of Lion’s Head.

Lions Head was opened on Friday, after being closed from late last year for renovations.

Many have since questioned the work done, with the Table Mountain Watch group posting pictures of the work on social media and raising concerns about the safety of visitors.

Table Mountain Watch spokesperson Andre van Schalkwyk said: “We will go have a look this afternoon. I am not an expert in any form but shoddy workmanship should be identified and raised.”

He said Lion’s Head was one of the busiest trails and the bulk of accidents occurred on this trail.

“At this stage, rather have people stay away or just be aware. From a rescue perspective, Lion’s Head makes up the bulk of our rescues. If there were 200, I ‘d say at least 60-70% are there.”

SANParks spokesperson Babalwa Dlangamandla said that after the reopening, they received numerous concerns from visitors around the safety of some of the new infrastructure.

“SANParks echoes these sentiments and we understand the disappointment our hikers may feel. The tender that was awarded for infrastructure maintenance was done in a fair, open and equitable manner, while complying with all supply chain management guidelines. The contractor that was awarded the tender met the requirements and commenced work when the trail was closed. Regrettably, quality control was an ongoing challenge and our conservation team inspected work on a daily basis. Corrective measures that needed to be put in place were communicated to the contractor as these issues arose.”

She said that with the balance of the work completed to a satisfactory level, the footpath trail was reopened. An area of concern had been cordoned off until such time as a certificate of compliance could be issued to verify that the infrastructure was up to standard.

“We have encouraged hikers to make use of the existing staples and chains or the trail segment that circumvents the cordoned off infrastructure. Visitors are still able to reach the summit through the spiral trail that completely excludes the staples and chains.

“Until such time that we can guarantee safe passage, the newly installed infrastructure will remain closed off, and notices will remain in place.”

HIKERS and visitors to Lion’s Head have complained about what they called shoddy workmanship on Lion’s Head trail, which was reopened on Friday after being closed for around three months for refurbishment.