PSJ revives plan for cable car
Municipality seeking investors to restart 10-year-old tourism project
Port St Johns municipal bosses are again exploring the feasibility of establishing a cable car operation, to attract more tourists to what was once regarded as the “crown jewel of the Wild Coast”.
This comes a decade after the project was first discussed.
The municipality has identified the Mpembeni and adjacent Tyhobeni mountains, fondly referred to as the “gates of PSJ”, on which to establish the operation.
The famed Umzimvubu River runs between the two mountains.
Port St Johns mayor Nomvuzo MlombileCingo told the Dispatch they had even gone so far as to include the project in the integrated development plan for the current financial year.
She said even though they were not sure where the money needed would come from, they hoped to approach the “big guns” who had successfully undertaken similar projects in other parts of the world, including SA.
Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) CEO Vuyani Dayimani said the municipality had developed a concept and proposal for a cable car in 2010 with the view of attracting more tourists.
He said they were now looking to rope in a private company to conduct a feasibility study.
“The national department of tourism identified the Wild Coast as a priority node for tourism development. To maximise this, ECPTA, in line with its 2020-2025 tourism strategy, identified this as one of the initiatives with a view to diversify tourism products for the province, so as to enhance visitor experience,” he said.
“ECPTA saw this as a fitting project to support via the sourcing of a feasibility study which will assess the environmental sensitivity, project viability in terms of innovation, technology and infrastructure required. Projects like the cable car have the potential for job creation, economic growth as well as expansion of the tourism value chain because of the tourist pull effect they would have for the Wild Coast.”
However he could not say how much the current budget for the study was.
The Dispatch reported 10 years ago that the cable car system was envisioned to be modelled on Cape Town’s Table Mountain operation.
Back then, municipal bosses estimated the project could cost anything between R23m and R34m to set up, depending on what type of a cable car was chosen by the investor.
Mlombile-Cingo said this week the municipality could not undertake the project alone and would require all the assistance it could get, including from the provincial government.
She attributed the delays in the project to political instability within the municipality.
But she said: “We believe it will definitely boost our tourism and revenue. The goal is to see our revenue grow.”
She said they had decided to approach experienced investors because there were risks attached to a cable car.
“You need to make sure there is quality assurance.”
Mlombile-Cingo said the town’s tourism industry had been ravaged by Covid-19 and the lockdown.