The aerial cableway at Table Mountain has been an attraction for over 90 years – here’s a look back at some of the history behind it.
Officially opened on October 4, 1929, the cableway has undergone three major upgrades and regular maintenance.
The construction of the upper and lower stations as well as a tearoom at the summit took two years. The end result was a wooden cable car that took nearly 10 minutes to carry 19 people and a conductor up to the summit.
Since then, over 29 million visitors have made the trip – now in half the time in the new cabins that offer 360-degree views of the mountain and scenery.
“In October 1997, modern cable cars with rotating bases and increased passenger capacity were installed, making them a world-class experience, similar to only a handful of other cableways in the world,” said MD of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company, Wahida Parker.
Over the years the cableway has hosted several celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and singer Kelly Rowland.
The original set of cable cars is on display at the Transport Museum in Johannesburg and at the lower cable station where one has been transformed into an ice cream kiosk.
“A lot has changed since that first trip in 1929, but the cableway remains one of Cape Town’s biggest tourist attractions, transporting approximately a million people annually and counting,” said Parker.
