David Bester. (Photo: TMACC/ Kimberley Tito)
David Bester, former “resident” of Table Mountainhe returned to the popular tourist attraction for the first time in nearly 80 years to celebrate his 79th birthday.
Bester and his family were invited by the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company to mark the occasion. Bester’s parents lived up the mountain at Cableway House in 1943 when his mother was pregnant with him.
Bester was born in Cape Town in January 1944 and was the first baby to ride a cable car to the top at just two weeks old. However, it was deemed too dangerous to have a young child living on the mountain, so his parents left when Bester was 11 months old.
Bester spent Saturday morning showing his family members the upper plateau of the mountain where he used to play as a little boy. He also recalled his mother serving tea and sandwiches to visitors in the current Shop at the Top building.
“I have fond memories of my early days living on the mountain. Imagine being a young child, exploring the natural beauty of the mountain. Table Mountain was my playground. Unfortunately I don’t have any photographs from those days, but it was an experience touching to see my childhood home again.
“This was my first visit to the mountain since those early days and I thank the Cableway Company for helping me and my family make this ‘homecoming’ trip a reality,” Bester said in a statement to the media.
The cable car has been upgraded three times since it first began operating in 1929 and has transported more than 30 million people to the top of Table Mountain. The Cableway Company invites all South African residents to celebrate their birthday on the mountain with a free return cable car ticket valid for the month of their birth.
The cable car has transported more than 30 million people to the top of Table Mountain since it first began operating in 1929. The milestone was reached in December 2022.
An emotional moment for David Bester on his return to Table Mountain. (Photo: TMACC/ Kimberley Tito)
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