Cape Town - After 18 years, the ride is over and Ratanga Junction, in Cape Town, is closing its doors for good.
The owners say they can no longer afford to keep the rollercoasters rolling.
The theme parked opened in December 1998 and cost over R350-million to build.
But it’s been losing profits due to low ticket sales and expensive maintenance cost.
Property group Rabie, who purchased the park in 2005, says the closure of the fun park should come as no surprise as it’s always been vocal about shutting it down and redeveloping the 20 hectare space in Century City.
Rabie Marketing and Communications Manager Maggie Rowley says: “Since [the purchase] there have been numerous news articles about the pending closure of the park, including when we retired two of the rides – Crocodile Gorge and Diamond Devil Run – to make way for the new R1-billion Century City Square project.”
A photo posted by Ratanga Junction (@ratangajunction) on Apr 12, 2016 at 4:57am PDT
Now their minds are finally made up and the theme park could be shut down as early as 2018.
Redevelopment
Rowley says: “It will depend on when the land is required for redevelopment, which in turn will be a function of the state of the economy and market demand for offices and housing.”
She adds: “This is likely to be in the next two to four years but the exact timing is impossible to predict accurately.”
Meanwhile, if you have R60-million or so lying around and in the market to buy a rollercoaster or two, then contact Rabie.
A photo posted by Ratanga Junction (@ratangajunction) on Mar 21, 2016 at 7:46am PDT
Rowley says: “Some of the rides might be sold but we are also exploring the possibility of retaining some of the kiddie rides for a smaller leisure attraction.”
Daily Voice