I remember back in 1998 when Ratanga Junction opened. The queues were massive, the excitement around the city huge, what could go wrong?

I even fondly remember riding the Cobra until the point where I puked, my sixth or seventh trip on the rollercoaster finally proving too much for my stomach to handle.

Well those days are long gone, because after almost 18 years (we feel old now) and a R350 million price tag to build Ratanga is shutting its doors for good. This from IOL:

…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.”

Now their minds are finally made up and the theme park could be shut down as early as 2018.

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.”

Happen to have a spare R60 million lying around? You could be the proud owner of some secondhand rollercoasters then:

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.”

If there ain’t no Cobra there ain’t no Ratanga, which is a sad day for youngsters who will miss out on its stomach-churning abilities in years to come.

[source:iol]