JOHANNESBURG – A multi-faceted rescue in the North West Province required 140 people to be evacuated from the Hartebeespoort cable-way, 70km North of Johannesburg, on Saturday.

Pic: Mountain Club of SA Search and Rescue (Facebook).

According to Mountain Club of SA Search and Rescue, a mechanical problem occurred at mid-day on Saturday and left most of the cable-way guests stranded at the top station whilst 15 (including a 6 month old baby) were stuck in gondolas suspended high above the ground along the cable way. 

The rescue team, which was lead by the Mountain Club Search and Rescue, comprised of a ‘team of teams’ with members of the Cable Way operations team, Off-Road Rescue Unit, Lonmin Surface rescue team, and MSAR Gauteng.

Pic: Mountain Club of SA Search and Rescue (Facebook).

“The safety of the visitors was the primary concern whilst the rescue required coordination of multiple smaller teams to ensure that the majority of the stranded visitors could all be brought down before dark,” said Mountain Club of SA Search and Rescue in a Facebook post. 

“The last rescuers and visitors were safely off the mountain by 20:00.

“Technical rescuers evacuated the gondolas using ropes to slide down the cable to reach the gondola and then lower passengers in harnesses one by one to smaller teams to escort them down the mountain.”

Pic: Mountain Club of SA Search and Rescue (Facebook).

Mountain Club of SA Search and Rescue says the cable-way management chartered a private helicopter with a view to expediting the evacuation of any frail, very young or very old people, but used it beyond that, flying a number of the visitors from the top station whilst others were taken down a jeep track by 4x4s.

The rescue team comprised of approximately 60 rescuers and 12 4x4s.

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