Pretoria - Celebrations erupted at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront on Friday night as Table Mountain was provisionally named a New 7 Wonder of Nature following a three-year global race to choose the world's seven most wonderful natural sites.
According to southafrica.info, the Swiss-based New7Wonders Foundation announced the initial results of the competition, in which hundreds of millions of votes were cast worldwide via mobile and internet platforms, in Zurich, Switzerland shortly after 9pm South African time on Friday.
The seven provisional winners, in alphabetical order, are: the Amazon in South America; Halong Bay in Vietnam; Iguazu Falls in Argentina; Jeju Island in South Korea; Komodo in Indonesia; Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines; and Table Mountain.
"The results will now be checked, validated and independently verified," the New7Wonders Foundation said in a statement.
"Once the voting validation process is completed, in early 2012, New7Wonders will then work with the confirmed winners to organise the official inauguration events."
After three years of intense campaigning, an unprecedented number of votes and support from South Africans and visitors alike, Table Mountain will now - pending final verification - take its place in the history books for the wonder that it is.
"This is an incredible moment for us," Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille told the crowd gathered at the V&A Waterfront. "Our mountain, which we all cherish, is now officially recognized as one of the marvels of the environment."
De Lille described Table Mountain as "a symbol of permanence in a world that is full of change. It is a symbol of the heritage that we are privileged to have. And it is a symbol that reminds us that we are privileged enough to live in an incredible country with incredible assets, giving us hope for the future."
After hosting a successful 2010 Fifa World Cup, and Cape Town having recently been declared World Design Capital 2014, South Africans can be proud of yet another incredible achievement.
Table Mountain Cableway CEO Sabine Lehmann said it was an amazing feat for South Africa.
"I would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for Table Mountain, and the celebrity ambassadors - from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Springbok rugby team to all the journalists, musicians, comedians, actors, politicians and sports stars who campaigned on our behalf.
"Your voices were heard, and it is because of you that Table Mountain's natural assets have been acknowledged in this popular election," Lehmann said.
