Police Minister Critiques Cape Town's Crime Prevention Plan with N2 Highway Barrier Proposal

• The acting police minister rejected the barrier wall as an effective crime prevention measure along Cape Town's N2 highway
• Cape Town Mayor's proposal faces criticism for reinforcing apartheid-era planning and neglecting community needs
• The minister emphasised the need for integrated crime-fighting strategies beyond physical barriers to address broader public safety

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

WESTERN CAPE, CAPE TOWN - Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia stated that he does not believe a proposed barrier fence or wall along the N2 highway in Cape Town would be an effective measure to curb crime affecting motorists travelling to and from the airport.

Suspects allegedly target vehicles

Cachalia made the remarks in response to a parliamentary question from Build One South Africa (BOSA), amid ongoing attacks on motorists along the route where suspects allegedly target vehicles and then disappear into nearby communities. According to the Minister, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has not determined that the safety project proposed by the city could replace sustained, visible policing or improved investigative capacity.

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The proposal was announced by Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who said the city planned to erect a barrier along the N2 as part of efforts to prevent crime along the busy route. The plan has drawn significant public and political criticism in recent months. Cachalia said a barrier wall might contribute to situational crime prevention by restricting pedestrian access to the roadway and possibly reducing opportunistic crimes targeting motorists. He indicated that such a structure would not address organised criminal activity beyond the roadside environment.

More effective crime-fighting measures

He added that the proposed barrier was unlikely to have an impact on firearm-related offences, gang violence, or broader public order challenges affecting surrounding communities. Mmusi Maimane, leader of Build One South Africa, has opposed the proposal, arguing that it would reinforce apartheid-era spatial planning by dividing communities and hiding poverty from view.

BOSA spokesperson Roger Solomons also criticised the project, saying the party would continue opposing the construction of the wall and the spending of hundreds of millions of rand by the DA-led City of Cape Town. He argued that the funds should instead be directed toward more effective crime-fighting measures across communities, particularly on the Cape Flats. Cachalia maintained that reducing crime required an integrated strategy that combined environmental design interventions with sustained policing, intelligence operations and prosecutorial action.

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GOOD party calls Cape Town’s N2 wall segregation and poverty cover

Briefly News also reported that the GOOD Party has slammed the City of Cape Town’s plans to build a wall along the N2, saying it mirrors the days of Apartheid.

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.

Source: Briefly News