Cableway's uphill battle

For some it's just a mountain.

But to KwaZulu-Natal economic development and tourism MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu, and the AmaZizi community, it's a gold mine.

Mabuyakhulu has earmarked Mount Amery, in the northern Drakensberg, as the summit site for a proposed R500-million cableway.

"[We are] investigating the development of a cableway, with an intermediate station, climbing 1300m to the summit of Mount Amery, 3300m above sea level.

"The summit offers expansive views of KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho and the Free State," he said.

A 2000 study found that the development, proposed to boost tourism, was not economically viable.

But Mabuyakhulu resurrected the proposal in 2012 and presented another feasibility study, and a draft business plan, a year later.

If the go-ahead is given, a full environment impact assessment will be made.

But to the AmaZizi community, who have lived in the area for generations, the mountain is part of their cultural and natural heritage and should not be tampered with.

"We are hungry but if that cable car comes here, it is as if the government is giving us a plate of poison because we will not benefit from the development," AmaZizi community member and guide Elijah Mbonanie said.

He said the community could not accept a project that would harm the area's biodiversity.

"Leave our environment. Leave our water and our soil. We say 'no' to this project not because we hate it, but because we love our environment . we love our nature," he said.

Bongani Phakathi is afraid that the community will be relocated to make way for the proposed development.

"We have lived here for many years but now we fear that our mountain will no longer be ours. We won't have access to our water, our grazing land, and our mountain," he said.

Beauty Mbongwa and at least 50 other weavers employed at a community craft centre said they stood to lose their jobs.

"The best weaving grass comes from the mountains.

"How will we get to the mountains if the cable car is going to ruin it for us."

Siyabonga Skhosana said he might be the only person in the area to support the construction of the cableway and he is willing to stand alone to fight for it.

"I am unemployed. Look around; we are hungry.

"This cableway will bring jobs and even if there are only 10 jobs, I will still say 'thank you'," Skhosana said.

Insulted by what they call a "celebratory consultation session" about the cableway project on the day of the funeral of their leader's brother, the AmaZizi traditional authority wants its own development plan implemented.

The AmaZimi want a community-driven nature reserve and wilderness area to attract tourists and make children aware of the importance of nature.

With its rock art sites, springs of fresh water and indigenous flora, the area scored 18 out of 20 in an independent assessment.

Sigungu Miya, spokesman for the authority, said that over the past eight years community members had been employed in donga rehabilitation, weed eradication and fire-prevention management.

"We do not need the cableway. This Western business will change our culture and our mountains. We do not want this to happen," Miya said.

"When public consultations about this project started, we said that we would engage with all stakeholders," said department of economic development and tourism spokesman Bheko Madlala. "This position has not changed."