Cape Town: SANParks increases safety on Table Mountain
South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town has received eighteen so-called Tourism Safety Officers who will join Park Rangers in their daily safety patrols. The programme is in partnership with the Western Cape Government: Department of Community Safety and provides for the officers to be stationed in Table Mountain National Park to assist Park Rangers with their daily activities. Their duties are mainly visible policing and assisting rangers with their daily conservation and tourism duties.
"Table Mountain National Park is an open-access park surrounded by the City of Cape Town and requires more support to combat criminal activities affecting our visitors as well as tackle environmental crime. The Tourism Safety Officer team will boost our existing visitor safety and law enforcement work alongside our rangers", said Manager, Table Mountain National Park Ms. Megan Taplin.
Table Mountain National Park was proclaimed on 29 May 1998 for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation. The National Park contains two well-known landmarks: Table Mountain, for which the park is named; and the Cape of Good Hope, the most southwestern extremity of Africa.
Table Mountain National Park is a Natural World Heritage Site and home to one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. It stretches 70km from Signal Hill and Table Mountain in the north to Cape Point in the south and includes a Marine Protected Area and many of the beaches around the Cape Peninsula.
