Speech by Mayor Patricia de Lille on Table Mountain at
the launch of the City and the Provincial Government’s
campaign to encourage the public to vote for Table
Mountain in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition
25 AUGUST 2011
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.
Today marks 77 days to go until the new 7 natural wonders of the world
are named.
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.
In so doing, we codify this mountain’s status. But we also bring
tremendous direct economic and socio-economic benefits to our city and
our country.
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.
Economic analysis suggests far more tourist revenue, which means more
jobs and more opportunities for everyone in this city.
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.
Or you can SMS ‘Table’ 34874, with each SMS costing R2.
Or you can choose to vote on MiXit.
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.