The City of Cape Town deployed 1 000 students from the Public Safety Training College onto Table Mountain on Friday, breaking the Guinness World Record for the most people to hike a mountain at the same time, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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The previous record of 815 people was set in Iraq in 2023.
The group, dubbed #Project1000 was joined by Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith in the build-up to a busy festive season for the city as they conquered Table Mountain and descended into Newlands Forest.
‘Our Public Safety Training College is breaking records at a rapid pace,’ said Smith after the group had earned their place in the Guinness Book of Records. ‘Already we are training more municipal peace officers than the rest of South Africa combined.’
‘While we already hold international accreditation, we are all focusing on values most important if we are to build a police service that is respected and trusted.’
‘Values of integrity, honour, compassion. All values our college holds dear and has built our training around.’
At the end of the ceremony, Commissioner Robbie Robberts unveiled CoCT’s festive season policing plan.
‘Because there is no holding us back now. We’re moving mountains…’ Smith added.
While Friday’s record-breaking hike saw a significant increase in law enforcement on the Cape’s trails, security concerns were again cast into the spotlight a matter of hours later when a group of five hikers were mugged coming down Steenberg Plateau on the Silvermine hiking trail on Saturday morning.
According to non-profit organisation Friends of Table Mountain, the group was held up by four ‘teens/youngsters’ with a gun and broken bottles approximately 100 metres from the start of the trail, near Boyes Drive, above Lakeside.
This incident follows almost a week after two hikers were robbed by four males between the ages of 18 and 25 while ascending Deer Park towards Tafelberg Road before 7am last Sunday.
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5 hikers mugged in Table Mountain National Park spark safety concerns
Picture: JP Smith / Facebook
