Cape Town, 06 March 2019 – SANParks is urging the public to adhere to signage on parts of the Lion’s Head hiking trails that inform of areas that have not yet been re-opened.
Following recent concerns on social media related to the usage of certain sections of the Lion’s Head within the Table Mountain National Park, SANParks has confirmed that the sections in question are not open to the public due to the fact that work assessment is still being conducted.
These sections include the newly installed staples and chains. Apparently, visitors to the area have ignored signage informing them that these sections are not to be accessed and they are closed. SANParks Rangers are patrolling the area to inform hikers that certain sections are not open for use and have been demarcated as such.
“With the recent fires SANParks had to delay the opening of Lions Head, and we’ve subsequently reopened the footpath section leading to the summit where maintenance work has been successfully completed,” says SANParks Head of Corporate Communications – Janine Raftopoulos.
Raftopoulos goes on to say that; “Visitors have posted images of the sections that are not yet opened to the public and they should not be accessing the area. We will ensure that the closed sections are certified safe before reopening them. We also want to reassure members of the public that standard procedure is to conduct safety checks before the area is reopened.”
SANParks requests that all visitors comply with the signage on site and use the existing or spiral pathway to reach the summit. “As it stands now we have discovered that patrons have gained unauthorized access to the cordoned off area and are not adhering to the signs to stay out of the area, further posting these images on social media,” says Raftopoulos.
Anyone accessing the unauthorized areas do so at their own risk and may be liable to a fine.
“SANParks would also like to thank the public for their patience during the rehabilitation work that is in prgress on Lion’s Head,” Raftopoulos concludes.
