Table Mountain Aerial Cableway welcomes visitor number 31 million since it began operations in 1929

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) on Thursday welcomed its 31 millionth visitor to the mountain, a woman from Bloemfontein.

Gerda Pretorius from Bloemfontein was surprised with a special gift hamper when she and her husband, Lood, arrived at the cableway station on Thursday morning. They were waiting their turn to board the cable car, when Gerda was pulled from the queue and told that she was the 31 millionth visitor. The Pretorius couple were on a two-day visit to Cape Town.

"It has been such fun to be back in Cape Town for this quick visit, and a thrill to see the mountain and the Cableway. We haven't been on the mountain in over 30 years and today was a very nice surprise. Thank you for making us feel very special as we celebrate my 69th birthday (on 24 January)," said Gerda.

TMACC managing director, Wahida Parker, said welcoming their 31 millionth visitor (since the start of operations in 1929) was a “thrilling opportunity”.

“We are eternally grateful to every single person who visited our mountain and made use of the cableway over these nine-plus decades,” Parker said.

“Table Mountain Aerial Cableway first opened its doors on October 4, 1929, and has since then transported over 31 million visitors up the mountain’s sharp inclines, offering them stunning 360° vistas of our beautiful city,” she added.

The original cable car, made of wood with a tin roof, could hold 19 passengers and a conductor, taking about 10 minutes to complete the trip to the summit, which stands 704m (1 067ft) above sea level.

With the progression of technology, the cableway system has undergone substantial upgrades. Today, an advanced cable car featuring a rotating floor can smoothly carry up to 65 passengers to the mountain’s top in a mere four to five minutes.

According to TMACC, they sold around 100 000 cable car tickets over December 2023.

Cape Times