Load-shedding halts Cape Town cable car, ‘terrifying’ England cricketer

Danni Wyatt is in South Africa playing in the Women's T20 World Cup.


England cricketer Danni Wyatt revealed Thursday the “terrifying” moment when Cape Town‘s famed Table Mountain cable car lost power and left her hovering helplessly above the ground.

Wyatt and her teammates had joined tourists on the ride which sweeps over 1,000m up to the plateau above the city.

Table Mountain cable car
The Table Mountain cable car.

‘Technical issues’

“There were a few technical issues that made me very nervous before we boarded the cable car and then it decided to drop a little bit and swung,” said the 31-year-old.

“It was a very terrifying experience. I don’t think I’ll be going up that mountain again anytime soon.”

Wyatt, who is in the country taking part in the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup, said the system lost power due to load-shedding which can blight the country for up to 10 hours a day.

‘Next time I’ll take the stairs’

“I’m not going on that cable car ever again. It’s the load shedding, once the electricity goes, that’s it,” she said.

“Next time. I’ll take the stairs.”

The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway opened in 1929 and carries around 900,000 people a year.

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