Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway | |
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Overview | |
Status | Operational |
Country | South Africa |
Coordinates | 25°42′40.61″S27°53′8.44″E / 25.7112806°S 27.8856778°E |
Elevation | lowest: 0 metres (0 ft) highest: 1,592 metres (5,223 ft) |
No. of stations | 2 |
Open | 1973 |
Website | Harties Cableway |
Operation | |
Operator | Zargodox (Pty) Ltd |
Carrier capacity |
|
Technical features | |
Aerial lift type | Mono cableway |
Line length | 1 600 metres |
The Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway (or Harties Cableway), originally constructed in 1973, is a 1.2 km long cableway that extends to the top of the Magaliesberg and offers panoramic views of the Magaliesberg, Hartbeespoort Dam and the surrounding area. It is situated 1 km to the north of the town of Hartbeespoort in the North West Province, and is the longest mono-cableway in Africa. [1] In 2010 the cableway was completely revamped and modernised by Zargodox (Pty) Ltd, and officially reopened on 14 August 2010 by the then Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk. [2] The aerial cableway is open seven days a week. [3]
The first Harties Aerial Cableway was constructed in 1973. The aerial cableway was a top visitor attraction for overseas travellers and local residents, and became a popular paragliding and hang gliding destination. By 2005 the cableway had fallen into a state of disrepair, and was closed. [4]
In 2010, Zargodox (Pty) Ltd began a private initiative with the aim of growing tourism in the Hartbeespoort area, and purchased the old cableway. [5] In collaboration with Swiss company Rowema AG, Zargodox invested time and expertise into rejuvenating the old cableway and bringing the area back to life. 14 six-seater hi-tech cable cars, new galvanised cabling, touch-screen technology, and auto cabin spacing and conveyor programming technology was installed. [6] The cableway underwent 500 hours of testing, complying with the Canadian Standards Association specifications. [7]
The Harties Aerial Cableway was named 'Best Conference Venue' at the North West Provincial Tourism Awards. [8]
In his address at the official launch of the Harties Aerial Cableway on 14 August, Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk congratulated the team behind the rejuvenation of the cableway, and stated "Anyone who has been to Switzerland will tell you that the Harties Cableway is up there with the best. "This is a world-class facility and we need many more products like this." [9]
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Hartbeespoort, informally known as "Harties", is a small resort town in the North West Province of South Africa, situated on slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain and the banks of the Hartbeespoort Dam. The name of the town means "gateway of the hartbees" in Afrikaans. Schoemansville]], named after General Hendrik Schoeman, a Boer General in the Anglo-Boer War, who owned the farm that the Hartbeespoort Dam was built on, is the oldest neighbourhood of Hartbeespoort.
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The Magaliesberg of northern South Africa, is a modest but well-defined mountain range composed mainly of quartzites. It rises at a point south of the Pilanesberg to form a curved prominence that intersects suburban Pretoria before it peters out some 50 km (31 mi) to the east, just south of Bronkhorstspruit. The highest point of the Magaliesberg is reached at Nooitgedacht, about 1,852 metres (6,076 ft) above sea level. A cableway reaching to the top of the mountain range is located at Hartbeespoort Dam, providing sweeping views of the Magaliesberg and surrounding area.
Hartbeespoort Dam is an arch type dam situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It lies in a valley to the south of the Magaliesberg mountain range and north of the Witwatersberg mountain range, about 35 kilometres north west of Johannesburg and 20 kilometres west of Pretoria. The name of the dam means "dam at the gorge of the hartebeest" in Afrikaans. This "poort" in the Magaliesberg was a popular spot for hunters, where they cornered and shot the hartebeest. The dam was originally designed for irrigation, which is currently its primary use, as well as for domestic and industrial use. The dam has suffered from a hypertrophic state since the early 1970s. Mismanagement of waste water treatment from urban zones within the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment area is largely to blame, having distorted the food web with over 280 tons of phosphate and nitrate deposits.
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