An ambitious R60 million project – which has revitalised tourism along Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route bringing national and global attention to the region – has welcomed its millionth visitor.
Established in 2017 under the visionary leadership of tourism stalwarts Oupa Pilane, James Sheard and Campbell Scott, the Graskop Gorge Lift Company has proved to be a remarkable example of private-sector innovation.
With a combination of public- and private-sector funding, the company has built a world-class facility in the mountains outside the small town of Graskop, revolving around a 70-metre-high gorge lift. Perched spectacularly on the edge of an escarpment, the lift takes travellers down through lush indigenous forest to a 600-metre-long circular walkway through the bottom of the gorge.
In September, the facility, which also incorporates an extreme freefall swing, and ziplines and a suspension bridge spanning the gorge, officially welcomed its millionth visitor. Pilane, also Chair of inbound industry association SATSA, said with each visitor spending on average between R500 and R1 000, the project had generated at least R500m in revenue. Its progressive expansion has led to the creation of 98 permanent jobs.
First-of-its-kind cliff walk
On Friday, October 25, the project celebrated another ground-breaking achievement with the official launch of its Cliff Walk adventure – a first of its kind for South Africa. The cliff walk includes a walkway running along the cliff face, two suspension bridges and a zipline.
“Our focus was on creating unique access through the use of cliff-face walkways and other minimalist structures to environments normally limited to those with special training and fitness,” said Scott, a GGLC Co-Director.
Construction of the walk – carried out in accordance with the highest international safety standards – started in April and was completed in September.
“The Cliff Walk offers a close-up experience of nature, allowing participants to get into places that would otherwise be inaccessible,” added fellow Director, Sheard, who emphasised the unique appeal of the GGLC as a whole.
“Where else can you do a cliff walk, dare yourself to do an extreme 70-metre cable swing or double zipline across the gorge, cross a 51-metre suspension bridge, ride a viewing lift into the forest below and enjoy an interpretive forest trail – all in one breathtaking gorge?”
Earlier this year, a solar installation costing R2.7 million was also completed to supplement the power supply.
GGLC was the first beneficiary of the Department of Tourism’s Tourism Transformation Fund, and has received R38 million in funding from the initiative since 2017.
A revitaliser for the Panorama Route
Pilane said that the private sector-led GGLC, together with government support, had given the region a much-needed anchor project to catalyse tourism growth and investment.
Stretching from the small Mpumalanga town of Sabie (close to the Kruger National Park) and up into the Limpopo province, the Panorama Route incorporates a dazzling variety of natural attractions along the world’s third-largest canyon – the Blyde River Canyon.
However, a lack of funding from managing authority the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) has led to deterioration of infrastructure at key attractions such as God’s Window, Mac Mac Falls, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Three Rondawels, exacerbated by patchy road maintenance along the route.
“We have built it, and the tourists have come. There is now an opportunity to capitalise on the attention that this project has given to the region and develop other world-class infrastructure to fully exploit this area’s immense potential for further tourism growth and job creation,” said Pilane.
Pilane said that SATSA was looking at Graskop as a central pillar of its small town regeneration strategy, which seeks to stimulate private sector investment in small towns, based on a similar model to the Jozi My Jozi project in Johannesburg. Founded in 2023, Jozi My Jozi has effectively gathered corporate heavyweights together to regenerate Johannesburg’s inner city.
Pilane said that the region was in dire need of accommodation facilities to attract overnight guests. The GGLC is investigating the purchase of neighbouring properties in order to construct a hotel, said Pilane.
GGLC will welcome 100 tour operators to experience the Cliff Walk next month to generate more global awareness of the attraction and the region.
