Rescuers recovered the deceased from the mountain before transporting the body by stretcher to a point below the cable car.
Image: David Nel
A LARGE-SCALE wilderness search and rescue response unfolded on Table Mountain and the Helderberg Nature Reserve on Sunday evening after three separate mountain incidents left two people injured and one hiker dead following a fall from a rock face on Table Mountain.
The coordinated response, led through Wilderness Search And Rescue, drew in volunteer technical rescuers, paramedics, rangers, and specialist support units, with teams deployed across two mountain regions while operations were still unfolding.
Officials have said the evening underscored both the complexity of mountain rescue operations and the reliance on coordinated volunteer capacity across multiple agencies.
Rescuers assist the injured hiker into a waiting ambulance while teams reset equipment following the long carry from Platteklip Gorge.
Image: David Nel
The first callout was received shortly before 4.30pm on Sunday after a 36-year-old woman sustained an ankle injury while descending Platteklip Gorge on Table Mountain.
It is understood she jumped from a rock step roughly one-third of the way down the route, landing awkwardly and injuring her ankle. Unable to continue, her companions raised the alarm via emergency services.
Rescue and medical teams, including EMS paramedics and SANParks personnel, were transported via the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway to the upper station before descending on foot to reach the casualty.
After routine assessment and stabilisation on scene, the hiker was placed into a rescue stretcher and carried down steep terrain by a rope-and-litter team.
The operation concluded at approximately 10.40pm.
While teams were still deploying on Table Mountain, a second incident was reported from the Helderberg Nature Reserve when a 22-year-old trail runner slipped while descending from West Peak, sustaining a puncture injury after impaling his leg on an exposed metal spike along the trail.
Reserve staff responded quickly, reaching the runner and providing immediate assistance before transporting him down to waiting medics at the base of the route.
The casualty was stabilised and transferred for further medical care.
The incident concluded at 6.23pm.
As additional resources were being mobilised to assist in Platteklip Gorge, passengers aboard the Table Mountain cable car reported witnessing a hiker fall from a rock face.
Nearby rescue teams, supported by EMS paramedics already operating in the area, were immediately diverted to the scene while additional rescuers were called in to assist.
Despite the rapid response, the hiker was found deceased.
Specialist rescue teams carefully loaded the deceased into a stretcher before making their way yo a a point below the cableway.
Technical personnel then used the cable car system to recover the stretcher from the mountain and transport it to the lower station, where the body was handed over to the South African Police Service.
The operation concluded at 9.50pm.
Sunday’s operations once again revealed the reality behind Cape Town’s mountain rescue system: while thousands head into the mountains each week seeking adventure, exercise, or escape, a network of volunteers and emergency personnel remains on constant standby for the moment something goes wrong.
As winter conditions begin settling across the Western Cape mountains, rescue teams are urging hikers and trail runners to prepare carefully, check weather conditions, avoid taking unnecessary risks, and look out for those around them on the trail.
For the rescuers who spent hours navigating dangerous terrain long after sunset, WSAR's message remains simple and unchanged: “Safe, my mate.”