Our city, our country and our continent are faced with an incredible opportunity. Table Mountain, the centre around which our historic city revolves, is shortlisted to be one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world.
Table Mountain and Mount Kilimanjaro are the only contenders from the African continent.
Table Mountain is iconic. Some cities are defined by certain historic markers that make them unmistakable.
Usually, those markers are built and have been there for decades as symbols of humanity’s ability to shape our environment to accommodate the needs of growing communities.
Table Mountain is unique.
It serves the same purpose as those markers, acting as an unforgettable and unmistakable feature that defines Cape Town.
But it is a natural feature of our landscape, a symbol of nature’s permanence and the majesty and beauty of our environment.
For thousands of years, communities have lived in its shadow. It acted as a beacon for those first circumnavigating the globe. In modern history, its foothills have provided the foundation for our great city, from which it spreads.
As this city changes and grows, it will remain throughout time, a repository of the memory of our triumphs and failures, an immovable constant in a world where sometimes everything seems to be in flux.
While it defines our city, it is much greater than it. It is a natural heritage that belongs to all South Africans and, we believe, the world.
We ask today that that importance be officially recognised.
It must take its rightful place as an official natural wonder for all.
Voting is only open for a few more days and Table Mountain is still not in the Top 10.
I urge all the people of Cape Town, and indeed of South Africa, to vote for Table Mountain.
Let us come together and invest in a symbol that we all own and cherish.
South Africa is working to sustain an advantage as a desirable long-haul tourist destination. To attract visitors to our shores, we have to give them something that they cannot find anywhere else.
We have our people, our cultures, our heritage, our diversity. But we also have the privilege of one of the most breath-taking landscapes on earth, a country of sublime natural beauty.
If Table Mountain is officially recognised as a natural wonder, it will cement that unique offering to the world.
We must take the initiative. Tremendous benefits await us if we all do our part and come together.
I urge everyone to vote. You can do it by:
- going to the website www.votefortablemountain.com (vote once only)
- SMSing ‘Table’ to 34874 (R2.00 per sms) (vote as many times as you like)
- voting through MXit (20 moola per vote) (vote as many times as you like)
- voting on Facebook www.facebook.com/New7WondersofNature (vote once only)
- following www.twitter.com/Vote4tablemount on Twitter and trending #V4TM
However you do it, please vote as often as you can.
We are privileged to see this mountain every day and even take it for granted. But let’s use this chance to make our natural heritage the world’s heritage.
