Berg cable car project on fast track

THE Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs is fast-tracking the implementation of the Drakensberg cable car project and will host a conference and exhibition later this year to engage potential investors.

Giving his budget speech yesterday at the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu said the conference would also seek to create a platform for international cable car operators to share their experiences, environmental issues that could affect the development of the cable car, investigate potential markets that could be tapped into, and explore new activities that could be undertaken in the area.

It would also explore various manufacturing options for benchmarking purposes.

Mabuyakhulu said that the conference would provide a platform for networking and the establishment of business linkages among key business and government decision-makers, within and outside the country.

Mabuyakhulu said the Ithala Development Finance Corporation had been appointed to oversee the environmental impact assessment for the cable car project. “Moreover, we have established a task team mandated to provide strategic direction on the implementation of this project,” he said.

Mabuyakhulu believed the cable car would yield great economic spin-offs not only to the Okhahlamba area, but the entire province.

He said other projects, such as King Shaka’s statue, the Bluff bridge, the Isandlwana Development and Nonoti Resort, would also be fast-tracked. They were part of the strategic priorities from the province’s tourism master plan.