Mountain rescues on Table Mountain and Lion’s Head picked up this month, after a wet and generally quiet winter following a “record-breaking start” to the year, said David Nel, spokesperson for Wilderness Search and Rescue in the Western Cape.
Most rescues involve hikers, said Brent Russell, head of Search and Rescue for the Mountain Club of South Africa Cape Town section.
He advised people not to rely only on mapping apps when exploring the mountain. “Even experienced mountain users can easily get into trouble and need help,” he said, encouraging people to hike in groups and not depend on navigation apps for their safety.
The proportion of international tourists being rescued on Table Mountain National Park has gone up from about 25% in the past to 35%, said Nel. “By far the majority have ankle injuries and the trend is they get injured while descending trails,” he said.
We're seeing an increase of incidents related to widely available mapping software which often gives insufficient information about the severity of the routes.
— Mountain Club of SA Search & Rescue volunteer Brent Russell
Last weekend, however, US student Brook Cheuvront, 20, lost her life while hiking alone on Devil’s Peak, which flanks the front of Table Mountain. She was reported missing on Saturday and foot searches were launched.
On Sunday a drone pilot detected her body on the Eastern Buttress ridge line, said JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security for the City of Cape Town, which deployed the technology. “A paramedic roped down but sadly confirmed the patient was deceased,” he said.
One hundred and seventy-five deaths have been reported on Table Mountain and Lion’s Head from 1980 to 2024 of people walking and scrambling on the South African Accidents Mountain database, run by the Mountain Club of SA: Search and Rescue.
On summer weekends, the thump of chopper blades is often heard as the rescue choppers fly in and hover above Lion’s Head or Table Mountain rescuing people off the mountain, without charge.
Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) teams consist of professionals from government agencies and volunteers, from 11 partner organisations. Nel said they had rescued 156 people from January to July 12 and the total for 2024 could exceed the 247 rescues last year.
German visitors have had the highest number of rescues from 2008 to 2023 at 92, followed by visitors from the US (69) and the UK (45), according to Nel.
“The trend has been going up over the past couple of years. Before Covid-19 we had never surpassed 190 rescues a year and in 2021, out of nowhere with post-lockdown freedom, the number went up to 245,” he said, urging people to programme the WSAR rescue number (021-9370300) into their phones.
Russell said: “We’re seeing an increase of incidents related to widely available mapping software which often gives insufficient information about the severity of the routes. It is worth checking with others who have done the route before.”
Overseas, outdoor experts have raised concerns about popular apps mapping “dangerous routes”, which led, for example, to two rescues in the Lake District reports the Great Outdoors magazine.
He attributed the increasing number of rescues mostly to increased foot traffic on the mountain and the availability of communication channels, including mobile phones “that allow people to call for help quickly”.
“However, many rescues can be avoided by a few of the basics,” Russell said. “Never hike alone, and make sure you have adequate food, water and gear in case the hike takes you longer than expected or the weather changes. A headlamp can make the difference between having to be rescued and being able to get down on your own,” he said.
Earlier this month WSAR and the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway were spotted doing joint night-time training from the cableway, with rescuers abseiling out of the cable car and raising simulated patients to safety inside it.
“Regular collaborative trainings like these are essential,” Nel said of the event on September 13 — praising the cableway for 95 years of support for their work. The first time the cableway supported a rescue was on July 8 1929, even before its official opening on October 4 1929, he said.
“On Monday July 8 1929, a group of three stranded climbers were assisted down from the upper cable station after sheltering with construction teams in bitter weather conditions,” Nel said, referencing a newspaper article that year.
More men (709) than women (500) have been rescued since 2000, said Nel, and the age group most in need of rescue from 2000 to 2024 was people 21- to 35-years-old, making up 40% of the total.
Nel said they were working with Cape Town Tourism, which is promoting the city as an “adventure tourism” destination to keep people safe on the mountain.
SANParks spokesperson JP Louw said official reports of crime on the mountain had decreased from 32 in November last year to six in July and three last month.
The rescues have also shown a positive trajectory, with a reduction in the proportion of injured and critically injured patients needing assistance, said Nel, urging wilderness enthusiasts to adopt the “Call us sooner” and #IAmWildernessSafe campaigns to stay safe outdoors.
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