A new park-and-ride facility at the Huguenot Monument, and an upgrade to the Robertsvlei Road are part of several changes proposed by the Franschhoek Cableway project. This is according to a revised Basic Assessment Report (BAR), and the Franschhoek Heritage and Ratepayers Association (FHRPA). However, civil society groups are split over the proposed changes.
On the one hand, civil society organisations, including the FHRPA and the Franschhoek Interest Group (FIG), are worried about the “mass tourism” the cableway would bring to Franschhoek. On the other hand, some residents are excited for the potential economic opportunities it would bring.
A BAR evaluates the impact of a proposed project on biodiversity, traffic, and socio-economic factors. Legally, the Franschhoek Cableway cannot obtain environmental authorisation without a finalised BAR.
SMF News reached out to Adél Groenewald, the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) conducting the BAR for the cableway, but did not receive a response by the time this story was published.
“An upgrade of the Robertsvlei Road will solve nothing,” said Barry Phillips, who established FIG “to address community issues such as the cableway project”.
Phillips said the proposed infrastructure adjustments would do little to solve the town’s gridlock on the issue, adding that the planned park-and-ride facility near the Huguenot Monument would violate the 2019 Heritage Inventory of Stellenbosch Municipality (under which Franschhoek falls), as the monument is classified as a heritage site.
Despite multiple attempts to get comment, via different channels, SMF News didn’t receive a response from Stuart Grobbelaar, spokesperson for Stellenbosch Municipality, at the time of publication.
Phillips added that the cableway could damage the town’s reputation.
“The cableway can only survive on mass tourism. This will degrade Franschhoek’s reputation as a high-end destination,” said Phillips.
There are, however, some residents who support the project.
“I am proud to [have] publicly made my support for the project clear at least six months ago via the decals on my taxis,” said Trevor Jafthas, owner of T. Jafthas Taxis in Franschhoek, who claimed to speak for the “Franschhoek Working Group”. SMF News could not independently verify the existence of the Franschhoek Working Group.
Jafthas believed that the cableway project “will meaningfully contribute towards narrowing the massive wealth divide between the core town of Franschhoek and its suburbs”.
Citing an Ipsos poll of 500 Franschhoek residents, Jafthas said that the project’s planned park-and-ride facility may create more seasonal driving opportunities to take visitors to the planned base station at Haute Cabrière wine estate.
The same Ipsos poll found that 67% of Franschhoek residents are in favour of the cableway project, mostly due to the economic and employment opportunities it could create in the valley.
According to the poll, a significant proportion of those who have concerns about the project do not reject the project outright, but are concerned about mitigating potential impacts such as traffic, noise, environmental damage, and loss of the community’s identity due to mass tourism.
SMF News reached out to Ruth McCourt, CEO of Franschhoek Tourism, but did not receive a response by time of publication.
“It feels like Game of Thrones out here. I do not want to get in the middle of it,” said a local business owner, who requested anonymity, because he does not want his business to get caught up in the debate, told SMF News.