CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – SEPTEMBER 10: General view during the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras 2014 season launch at Ratanga Junction Theme Park on September 10, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images)
Ratanga Junction theme park confirms closure date for 2018
The Popular Cape Town theme park has finally confirmed when its door will shut once and for all. Bye, bye Ratanga Junction.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – SEPTEMBER 10: General view during the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras 2014 season launch at Ratanga Junction Theme Park on September 10, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images)
The Ratanga Junction theme park in Cape Town will sadly be closing its doors on May 1st 2018. The news has been a long time coming for fans of the Western Cape’s largest theme park, as the years went on the numbers continued to drop.
The Rabie Property Group confirmed the news on Tuesday, their plan to redevelop the park into a “vibrant mixed-use precinct“ is soon to begin in earnest.
Director John Chapman spoke to IOL about the redevelopment of the park and why it was necessary.
Chapman confirmed that the redevelopment would “embrace the existing canals, island, and public open space, and include residential apartments, offices, hotels, restaurants and convenience retail”.
The Rabie group bought the park in 2005 and last year confirmed that the park would be closing in the near future, depending on when the land would be needed for redevelopment.
Chapman revealed that the park had been over designed for the Cape Town market.
“The oversized facility, lack of consistent demand for a theme park, seasonal weather, expensive maintenance and running costs, as well as the ageing equipment, had all contributed to an unprofitable facility when we acquired it.”
Those who have attended the park in the last few years will have noted the closure of popular rides like Crocodile George and Diamond Devil. Those closures have been part of a downsizing plan carried out by the Rabie group.
“Since then we have downsized the operation, closed the park during off season, added an all-year round conference facility, and managed the theme park so that it now washes itself. However, this is not sufficient to justify its continued existence because rides need to be renewed and revenue cannot support the high capital costs.”
So, whether Ratanga is part of your childhood memories or still gives you a thrill, you may want to visit it one last time before Cape Town is left without an outdoor theme park. With ticket prices down on most days to R99, a couple of trips on the Monkey falls has never been more worth it.
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