R1BN DRAKENSBERG CABLE CAR PROJECT DELAYED

Councillors complain of years of lack of updates as government seeks funding

- THAMI MAGUBANE

THE KwaZulu-Natal government needs more than R1 billion to get the Drakensberg cable car project off the ground.

There is growing scepticism about the future of the ambitious project, with stakeholders questioning if it will ever get off the ground.

Councillors in the Okhahlamba Municipality, one of the key stakeholders in the project, said they have not been informed about any progress in the project for almost five years.

The R1bn figure is based on information produced in 2017 and contained in a report by the Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs, compiled in June this year.

However, EDTEA MEC Musa Zondi dismissed views that the project has been neglected, stating he had picked it up after it had been dormant for 12 years.

The Drakensberg cable car proposal, described as a game-changer, was proposed as one of the catalytic projects aimed at unlocking the tourism potential of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg region.

The project aims to attract at least 300 000 cable car visitors a year, with the cableway proposed to run up a mountain along the Busingatha Valley.

According to the report based on the 2017 feasibility study, the estimated costs are as follows:

· Cableway: R600 000 000

· Hotel, Conference Centre and Spa: R100 000 000

· Backpackers Hostel: R20 496 000