Franschhoek, the picture-perfect Cape winelands town, is up in arms over the proposal by a group of wealthy private investors to erect a R400m Swiss-designed cable car — the Franschhoek Skytram — from the base of the Franschhoek Pass to the top of Middagkrans Peak above the town.
If all the required approvals flow according to the legislated timeline, the cableway could be up and running by late 2026 at the earliest after a construction process of 18 months to two years.
The public participation process is in full swing and, judging from heated social media comments and a poll of 1,400 people on the “What’s on in Franschhoek” Facebook site, in which 70% of votes went against the project, most residents are appalled by the idea.
Many fear the plan will destroy the soul of the village, which numbers only about 22,000 residents and is renowned for its natural beauty and country charm. It was the only South African destination to make it into the top 50 on Time magazine’s list of the world’s greatest places in 2022.
The proposed 4,816m² upper cable station, part of which is designed to be wrapped around the northeast side of the mountain top, will include a wine-tasting centre, an all-day restaurant, a souvenir shop, a heritage and environmental display and an adventure centre and paragliding launching area.
Making approval tricky for the developer, the Franschhoek Cableway Co (FCC), is that the upper station would fall in the protected Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve and be in the midst of “critically endangered” Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos.
In addition, five bird species of conservation concern, including the Verreaux’s eagle, have been found at or in the broader upper station area.
The proposed 4,559m² lower cable station on Haute Cabrière wine farm will include a new deli, a village green, office space and a three-tiered parking garage cut into the mountainside.
It borders the exclusive Fransche Hoek Agricultural Estate, where at least one homeowner has pulled their property off the market, fearing the selling price will remain deeply discounted unless development approval is declined.
The details of the cableway proposal are contained in the draft basic assessment report (BAR) released by Doug Jeffery Environmental Consultants for public comment as part of the developer’s application for environmental authorisation from the department of forestry, fisheries & the environment (DFFE).
Apart from the visual intrusion, residents’ main gripe is the traffic congestion that will ensue along the narrow main road as an estimated 3,000 more visitors a day — 350 more cars, 150 more Ubers, 47 more small tour buses and nine more large tour buses — descend on the town in peak season. The town is already overflowing with tour buses, tour guides and sunburnt tourists in Bermuda shorts and Panama hats, their numbers swollen by the increasing popularity of the Franschhoek Wine Tram.
The Franschhoek Pass (when it is operational) and the main road also form the most direct route for large commercial trucks travelling to the N1 from Villiersdorp. In April last year, a traffic count study by the Franschhoek Heritage & Ratepayers’ Association (FHRPA) found that one articulated lorry traverses the main road every minute.
FHRPA co-chair Barry Phillips, speaking in his personal capacity, says he’s mostly worried about the effect of the traffic. He is also sceptical about the potential socioeconomic benefits, including whether local people will indeed be upskilled as promised and whether cable car visitors will spend money in the village itself.
“What I’m concerned about is that the benefits will largely bypass the village, but that the village will suffer all the negative consequences,” he says. “We’ll basically be the sacrificial lamb.”
A local estate agent, who did not wish to be identified, says: “I’m heartsore. People come here for the natural beauty and peace and quiet, and now they want to put an all-day café and wine bar on the top of the mountain — as well as an ‘adventure centre’, which we already have at the top of the pass. It’s all far too big and pretentious.”
What I’m concerned about is that the benefits will largely bypass the village but that it will suffer all the negative consequences. We’ll basically be the sacrificial lamb
— Barry Phillips
The FCC has been working quietly on the project for six years with the help of engineers from Doppelmayr/Garaventa, the world leader in cable car systems. The intention is for the cable car to be built in Switzerland and then shipped to South Africa and installed on site.
In fact, retired Garaventa project manager Beat Musfeld is now a director of the FCC. He fell in love with South Africa while managing a new cable car project for Table Mountain in the 1990s, and subsequently bought Somerset West wine farm Onderkloof. He was also involved with Garaventa in installing the funicular cable railway system on the arch over Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Another key backer is the Franschhoek-based Graaff family, whose ancestor Sir David Pieter de Villiers Graaff (1859-1931) was the main investor in the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, which the family still part-owns.
The BAR’s socioeconomic impact assessment concludes that the Skytram will be net positive for the village and should be authorised by the DFFE as no “fatal flaws” or other potentially significant negative effects have been identified.
The estimated benefits include the creation of 159 direct temporary jobs in the R230m local construction phase and 37 direct sustainable jobs in operations, with foot traffic to the Skytram delivering a R212m annual direct boost to the local tourism economy.
Once the indirect and induced effects are included, the total boost to tourism is estimated at R483m a year, which is expected to sustain 643 jobs and generate additional household income of R109m.
However, the assessment notes that these benefits will not accrue to Franschhoek per se but be largely concentrated in the Stellenbosch municipality and provincial economy, whereas the negative effects will be borne mostly by the surrounding properties, Franschhoek’s urban conservation area and certain urban and rural scenic routes.
Due to this imbalance it says the recommended mitigation measures related to visual, traffic and social conflicts “must be strictly adhered to”. The measures include the following:
- Materials used at the upper station must blend harmoniously with the natural landscape;
- A planted pergola must cover the new parking structure at the base station to block the view of parked cars and visually blend the structure into the surrounding landscape;
- At night, naked light sources must not be visible outside the area of the site and no neon or unshielded bright security lights or spotlights may be used;
- An experienced environmental control officer must oversee the construction phase and the implementation of the environmental management programme and must monitor any conditions the environmental authorisation sets; and
- Local labour should be used wherever possible, and skills transfer must occur between the international cable car team and the local team.
The BAR also recommends that a turning circle be built by the municipality, with a contribution from the developer, in front of the Huguenot Monument, and that left- and right-turning lanes be constructed at the developer’s expense at the entrance to Haute Cabrière.
To sweeten the deal, the FCC is offering to spend 2% of annual ticket sales on community projects.
This is growth and development. Lobby groups can delay it for a time but ultimately sanity will prevail
— Alwyn Laubscher
Skytram project manager Alwyn Laubscher says he is surprised by the negative reaction of residents, because “it will do wonders for the economy here”.
He adds: “This is growth and development. Lobby groups can delay it for a time but ultimately sanity will prevail.”
The Stellenbosch municipality, as the landowner of Erf 24 — the intended site of the upper cable station — has given the FCC permission to commence its planning application for development rights and to register the lease and aerial servitude, the terms of which still need to be finalised. The only other two landowners involved, Haute Cabrière and the neighbouring MontMartre farm, are also on board.
According to the BAR, the FCC is likely to spend R2m on leases a year, out of operational costs of about R35m.
FHRPA co-chair Wilfred Moses, who also chairs the Franschhoek Chamber of Commerce as well as the Franschhoek Museum board, says the proposal will be a “game-changer” for the village and affect every person as well as future generations, and not necessarily for the better.
“We should not destroy the special ambience and natural charm Franschhoek has for the creation of the developer’s own [inter]generational wealth,” he says, speaking in his personal capacity.
He feels there are “serious gaps and shortcomings” in the socioeconomic assessment report, including that it makes no mention of business opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
He is also offended by the lack of community participation in the proposal from the get-go, and resents it that the municipality, not a community trust, is to administer the sweetener (2% of ticket sales), which he regards as too low.
The organisations he represents are still determining their official position on the Skytram, but “whatever they decide”, he says, “it will be what is in the best interests of Franschhoek, not some grouping or faction — and certainly not just for the current generation”.
*The cableway will use two Swiss-built cable cars each designed for 80 people
*It will use 1,179m of cables
*It will be 1,017m above mean sea level
*The difference in elevation between the lower and upper station is 643m
*It will involve total capex of about R400m, of which R230m will be locally invested
*A temporary materials cableway will deliver initial building materials to the peak
*A 2% slice of annual ticket sales will support community projects
It is set to be operational by late 2026 at the earliest
*It is expected to attract a maximum of 3,000 visitors a day (peak season)
*It will operate from 8am-7pm (off-season) and 7am-9pm (peak season)
*Estimated number of visitors is 188,000 in year one, rising to 365,345 in year 10
— FRANSCHHOEK CABLEWAY BY THE NUMBERS
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