HOME | Friends of TMNT

About / Friends of Table Mountain

Friends of Table Mountain is a public, mountain users’ forum with the following purpose:

To ensure the appropriate management of Table Mountain by the assigned management authority in the best interests of the ecology and recreational users. This can be achieved by:

Meaningful public engagement and consultation, including partnership endeavours
Ensuring effective safety & security for all recreational mountain users,
Proactive and effective management of the Table Mountain ecology in line with climate change impacts, the Park’s World Heritage site status, global conservation protocols balanced with ecosystem services,
Ongoing creation and effective maintenance of Table Mountain trails and infrastructure,
Cooperative user & conflict management.

Achieving these objectives will ensure a better recreational experience for visitors & Capetonians alike, improved tourism, job creation and a resultant upliftment of disadvantaged communities living around Table Mountain.

For interactive discussions please join us on the Facebook Group - Friends of Table Mountain.

FOTM
Executive Committee

Achieving our objectives will ensure a better recreational experience for visitors & Capetonians alike, improved tourism, job creation and a resultant upliftment of disadvantaged communities living around Table Mountain.

Chairperson: Andy Davies

Andy Davies was a member of the 2020 TMNP Ministerial Task Team for Safety & Regulatory Environment and now sits on the TMNP Forum and its Safety & Security Sub-committee. Andy has been an active rock climber on TM for 30+ years and is a member of the Mountain Club of SA. He also enjoys ultra-distance trail running and is a member of the Tygerberg MTB club. He has always been active with TMNP community projects and initiated the rockclimbing Anchor Replacement Fund and was instrumental in compiling and getting approval for the Peninsula Sport Climbing Management Plan and the Cederberg Sport Climbing Management Plan.

Vice-Chairperson: Frank Dwyer

Frank Dwyer is a registered tour guide and qualified mountain guide as well as a regular leisure hiker. He has been active in the original Table Mountain Security Action Group and was a member of the 2020 TMNP Ministerial Task Team for Partnerships. He now sits on the TMNP Forum and its Recreational User (and Previously Disadvantaged) Sub-committee. Frank has a particular interest in path maintenance and would like to see the revival of the partially defunct Hoerikwaggo Trail. He believes that this concept has the potential to contribute to the development of the tourism sector and the creation of related employment.

Treasurer: Willem Boshoff

Willem Boshoff is an active member of the Newlands Forest Conservation Group and is an important activist with the fight against bark-stripping and alien vegetation in this critical forest.

Willem is also a keen climber and an experienced hiker and is a founding member and regular contributor to the Hiking SA social media pages.

Secretary: Ellie Courts

Ellie Courts is the chairperson of TrailWP and are involved with trail runs, road races and cross country on TMNP for WP Athletics. She is a founder of the Trail Search and Rescue initiative.

Ellie is particularly passionate with alien vegetation removal and is a regular attendee at the “Rhode Mem Hacks”. She is a member of the Mountain Club of SA.

Member: Fatima Sait

Fatima Sait sits on the TMNP Forum Previously Disadvantaged and Recreational User Group Sub-committee. Fatima is a qualified and active mountain guide on TMNP. Fatima is an administrator for the Hiking Cape Town Facebook page and focuses on mountain awareness and education.

Member: Rob Vogel

Rob Vogel is an active cyclist and the founder of the Table Mountain Bikers initiative, which has been advocating for safe trails and trail sharing in Table Mountain National Park since 2010. He is a founder member of the Table Mountain MTB Forum, a constituted body mandated by TMNP to manage the relationship between cyclists and the park management.

He was the CEO of the Pedal Power Association from 2015-2019, and working with partners, opened a cycling route through Kirstenbosch and the Constantia Greenbelts. During this time, the PPA partnered with Amarider, to fund and oversee the revision of the TMNP EMP for Cycling. Rob was also a member of the 2020 TMNP Ministerial Task Team for Activity Permits.