Cape Town - Cape Town’s stony-faced sentinel sits large in the psyche of those who live and work at its feet or rest in its shadow.
From the outset, the earliest humans who stepped along the fynbos-covered sands of the Cape Flats, or were blown here by trade winds over tempestuous seas, found comfort in the sight of the flat-topped sandstone sentry where they made their home.
Even today, Table Mountain is a guide for visitors and residents alike, as its various sides help to identify position and direction to those on the outskirts looking in.
But from very early on, many people also wanted to be on the inside, looking out. And from where would that have been more appropriate than from the top?
Legend has it many an interesting character had made this mountain their home. Many had ascended its eroded sides and found temporary shelter and peace at the top. Hardened criminals, adventurers, those who generally fell out of step with society found it to be a ready hideaway.
But for more than a century already Capetonians were debating how to put something in place that would make it possible for anybody to get to the summit without breaking a sweat. In the 1870s they felt strongly enough to have the local authorities investigate the possibility of building a railway to the top of the mountain.
Fortunately, this idea died a silent death, thanks to the Anglo-Boer War. The council revisited the idea in 1912, but by the time they got enough ducks in a row to shoot at, World War 1 required a different kind of shooting.
It was only in 1926, when Norwegian engineer Trygve Stromsoe presented plans for a cableway, that plans kicked off again.
The council did not have to do much convincing among residents, since popular support had always been strong. The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) was formed and construction began. By 1929 the job was done and on October 4 that year the cableway was officially opened by the mayor, AJS Lewis.
It remained in the hands of the families of the founders until 1993, when the son of one of the founders sold it. The new owners immediately launched an upgrade of the infrastructure and in 1997 the cableway was reopened, also boasting new cars.
The new cars carry 65 passengers – 25 more than the old ones – and run on a double cable for extra stability against the south-easter, the old Cape Doctor. Thanks to the new technology, the journey to the summit takes a few minutes less, while the new cars’ floors rotate to give passengers an all-round view of the Mother City.
This week, the cableway celebrates its 85th anniversary after having taken millions of people to the summit of Table Mountain in that time.
Since it was first opened, the cableway has been upgraded three times.
Cape Argus