Despite some industry concerns about the project – the environmental impact and access roads, amongst others – the proposed Drakensberg Cable Car project is going ahead.

Over the past weekend, KwaZulu Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs, Siboniso Duma, conducted an oversight visit to monitor the progress of the Drakensberg Cable Car project.

The project has been on hold for several years, but the provincial government has officially re-started it.

Duma visited the Mazizini area to assess the proposed location for the cableway after it had restarted in May.

Duma believes the project will boost tourism in KwaZulu Natal as well as neighbouring country, Lesotho and the Free State province.

"The area attracts both international and domestic leisure tourists, who mostly come for hiking and adventure. The plan is for the cableway to be located in a part of the Drakensberg with minimal tourism infrastructure and accommodation. This will unleash the tourism potential of this area without impacting existing attractions.

“The additional volume of tourists the cableway is expected to attract presents massive opportunities for cross-border initiatives to enhance the tourism product offering and, beyond tourism, look at other investment opportunities," said Duma.

This KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Department project, implemented by a committee led by Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal, in collaboration with Tourism KZN, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the Thukela District Municipality, and the traditional council in the area, is part of the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Master Plan.

Tourism Update is working on a follow-up story and would like to hear the industry’s perspective on this. Please e-mail christiaans@nowmedia.co.za or weigh in on the comments section.