News

Cape Town, 3 September 2007 – Cape Town residents continue to show their pride in Table Mountain National Park in various ways. Various Friends groups, volunteer groups, hiking clubs, mountain clubs and school groups have to date adopted 15 footpaths on Table Mountain.

The programme was launched in December 2006 by Table Mountain National Park to encourage residents to get involved in the upkeep of their mountain. Further to this, actual fields trips were also undertaken, whereby various paths were walked, thus giving the groups a feel of how the paths should be inspected and maintained.

The maintenance includes the trimming of vegetation, the sensitive removal of over hanging branches and the collection of litter found along the trail. A report pertaining to this project is completed each time a group walks and/or inspects and maintains the footpath that has been adopted.

The report then informs the management and section rangers on the current condition of the footpath and various aspects relating to it, such as signage, possible major erosion as a result of a recent flash flood and it also keeps track of the group’s hours worked . These statistics of volunteer hours worked are placed on record. Hand tools such as loppers and saws are issued to volunteer groups when required.

Prior to this project, various groups had already been involved in path maintenance on a voluntary basis in certain areas such as in Orange Kloof and on Vlakkenberg. Since 2002 the Orange Kloof volunteer guides have been involved in path maintenance in the Orange Kloof valley and on the trail to Hell’s Gates.

International volunteers spending up to two months at a time in the northern section of the park have also contributed enormously to the good condition of these paths, as well as to the path to the Woodhead tunnel in Disa Gorge and the educational trail in Newlands Forest.

Another group, the Friends of Vlakkenberg, have spent many years clearing alien vegetation, planting indigenous trees such as Silver trees and maintaining the footpath. Since the big fire of January 2000 a great amount of work and dedication has gone into the excellent standard of the footpath to the top of Vlakkenberg which passes through much beauty in the form of a variety of indigenous trees and fynbos.

Apart from the above long standing, totally committed volunteer groups there are others that have adopted paths, mainly in the Northern area of the Table Mountain National Park. These groups include the Cumhike Hiking Club, the Friends of Silvermine Nature Area, the Cape Province Mountain Club, the Western Province Mountain Club, the iKapa Honorary Rangers, the Friends of Lion’s Head, the People”˜s Trail volunteer guides and the Kensington High School Outdoor Adventure Club.

There are other groups that intend getting involved as well.

Phumeza Mgxashe Communications Manager Table Mountain National Park Tel No: 021-7018692 Fax No: 0866943632 Email: [email protected]