Tragic base-jumping accident on Table Mountain claims life

A person who reportedly fell while base-jumping from Table Mountain was found dead on Monday after a multi-agency search and rescue operation, Wilderness Search and Rescue confirmed.

Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) teams, alongside several other emergency services, responded to reports of a crashed base jumper on Table Mountain. After an extensive coordinated search, the individual was located but was confirmed deceased at the scene.

The body was extracted by helicopter and handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS). WSAR spokesperson David Nel extended thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and thanked the rescue teams and volunteers involved in what he described as a challenging recovery operation. “No further details are available at this time,” Nel said.

This incident follows a recent string of serious accidents involving aerial sports on Cape Town’s iconic peaks. Just three weeks ago, an Austrian paraglider had to be rescued from Lions Head after crashing into the mountain in hazardous conditions, underscoring the risks that extreme-sports enthusiasts face on the city’s cliffs and slopes.

That rescue, mounted by local agencies, successfully saved the injured paraglider but highlighted safety concerns around such activities.

This came weeks after a fatal paragliding crash on the same mountain in November, which the South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA) said involved 36-year-old wingsuit pioneer Jean-Jacques “JJ” Wallis. The organisation confirmed he had been flying a high-performance Flare Moustache wing — the second fatal crash involving that model in two years.

At the time, SAHPA chairperson Louis Stanford told the Cape Argus the pilot was a “36-year-old South African male” and said the association was reviewing launch and landing-site protocols. The November operation required at least 30 rescuers, with Wilderness Search and Rescue using drones to illuminate the near-vertical slope as night fell.

WSAR spokesperson David Nel said there had been 43 incidents on Lion’s Head over 25 years, including about eight in the previous 12 months.

Authorities have not yet released the identity of the deceased or confirmed next of kin notifications. SAPS will lead any investigation into the incident as more information becomes available.

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Cape Argus