Geordin Hill-Lewis Defends City of Cape Town’s R180-Million N2 Wall, Citizens Voice Mixed Reactions

• The City of Cape Town’s plans to build a “security wall” along a section of the N2 highway near the Cape Town International Airport
• The wall would separate the highway from the informal settlements, and Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis believes it will curb crime
• South Africans took to social media to weigh in on the city's plans and the mayor's reasons for wanting to build it

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

WESTERN CAPE - Geordin Hill-Lewis has defended the City of Cape Town’s plans to build a “security wall” on the N2.

The City of Cape Town plans to build the R180-million wall along a section of the N2 highway near the Cape Town International Airport. The wall would separate the highway from the informal settlements of Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Langa and Philippi.

Read also

Man's R200k Rustenburg Park cleanup reminds South African of own attempts to improve parks

The stretch of road has developed a reputation over the years for being a crime hotspot. It’s even been named the ‘Hell Run’ because of the number of stone-throwing attacks on motorists in the area.

The city’s decision has sparked backlash, with some arguing that the money could have been spent better elsewhere, but the Mayor, Hill-Lewis, disagreed.

Hill-Lewis addresses the decision build a wall

During a radio interview on Jacaranda FM on 13 January 2026, Hill-Lewis addressed a range of topics, including how the city planned to grow the tourism sector.

He also responded to safety concerns of visitors when it came to hijackings, smash-and-grab incidents, and stone-throwing incidents along the Hell Run.

“We asked and pleaded with the agencies responsible and got very poor responses. We said, ‘We’re stepping in.’ We have 45 officers day and night on the N2.

“We’re going ahead with building a security barrier, a wall, on the N2 in the coming months,” he said.

Hill-Lewis added that since the new initiatives, they had seen those incidents drop dramatically, almost to zero.

South Africans react to city’s plans

Read also

Investigation launched as 10-year-old drowns at Dobsonville pool with lifeguards present

Social media users weighed in on the city’s plans, sharing mixed reactions to it.

Mogamat Niethaam Eksteen asked:

“Can you put a wall up on the R300 and Jake's Gerwil, for the people of Mitchells Plain, so we can travel in and out of the area safely?”

HouseofChuft Haircare stated:

“Sounds a bit like the wall in Gaza and the Trump wall to me.”

Christopher Weyers suggested:

“He could call it a ‘noise barrier’ and pretend the intention is to dampen the noise of the highway for the residents of the nearby informal settlements. Also, he could say it's to protect the children from the informal settlements from the dangers of the highway in the informal settlements. These types of walls are all over the place in Europe. I don't understand why it's so contested in South Africa.”

Herman Herman claimed:

“He is defending it because his funders will get the tenders.”

Naomi Kuipers Schulze said:

“Bravo, Mr Hill-Lewis, for your attempt to safeguard the citizens.”

Read also

Vusimuzi Matlala once sought funding from Nedbank for luxury private terminal at OR Tambo Airport

Jenny Daniels added:

“Building a wall won't stop the crime.”

Nathan Williams stated:

“That wall is a good idea. It will prevent people from crossing the freeway, as well as stopping them from doing smash and grabs and robberies.”

Eric van Graan agreed:

“I’m thrilled to see that the City of Cape Town is doing this. Clearly not a silver bullet, but it will go a long way to address the security problem. Thank you for stepping in where the national government has left us out to dry… again. Well done.”

Sedick Dawood stated:

“Hiding the problem from the visitors. Typical band-aid while the real problems persist.”

Smash-and-grab incident goes viral

Briefly News reported that a shocking video captured two men breaking a car window on the N2 in Cape Town.

The smash-and-grab occurred in heavy traffic and left motorists traumatised, and was filmed by a motorist driving behind the victim.

Read also

South African man urges government to take notes from Trump on dealing with illegal immigration

The video went viral on Facebook and attracted numerous views and comments as citizens discussed crime in the country.

Source: Briefly News