Rescue teams were mobilised on Monday after emergency calls reported a base jumper in distress on Table Mountain, triggering a large-scale response from Wilderness Search and Rescue and other services.
Picture: Unsplash
The incident unfolded in the area around Platteklip Gorge, according to a local community group familiar with the terrain.
After an intensive and carefully coordinated operation involving multiple role players, rescuers managed to locate the individual. Sadly, the jumper was declared dead at the scene, as per the South African.
Due to the difficult location, the recovery required aerial support, with the body later lifted off the mountain by helicopter and formally handed over to the South African Police Service.
Wilderness Search and Rescue spokesperson David Nel conveyed condolences to the victim’s loved ones and acknowledged the efforts of the crews and volunteers involved.
He described the mission as particularly demanding, highlighting the complexity of operating in steep and exposed mountain conditions. Authorities have not released any further details surrounding the circumstances of the crash.
The latest fatality has heightened concern around aerial sport activities in the Table Mountain National Park, coming amid a worrying run of serious incidents.
Just days earlier, on Friday, WSAR teams were called to the Kloof Nek landing zone after a 57-year-old paraglider crashed on the slopes beneath Lion’s Head parking area.
That accident formed part of a broader pattern, marking the third paragliding-related incident on Lion’s Head since late November. The sequence began on 25 November, when renowned South African extreme sports athlete and aviator Jean-Jacques ‘JJ’ Wallis lost his life in a fatal crash on the mountain.
With another life lost, Monday’s incident underscores the growing toll linked to high-risk aerial sports on one of Cape Town’s most iconic natural landmarks.
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