Cape Town – Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has defended his R180m plan to build a “security wall” along the crime-plagued N2 highway between the airport and city centre, separating it from informal settlements like Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Philippi, and Langa.
The stretch, dubbed the “Hell run,” has seen rising hijackings, smash-and-grabs, and stone-throwing.
In a Jacaranda FM interview, Hill-Lewis said the city is stepping in where national policing falls short, deploying 45 officers 24/7, with incidents already dropping “dramatically, almost to zero.”
“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,” Hill-Lewis said.
“We’re going ahead with building a security barrier, a wall, on the N2 in the coming months.
“We’ve seen those incidents drop already, dramatically. Almost to zero.”
He dismissed neglect accusations, stressing job creation to fight poverty.
The proposal sparked backlash for lacking public consultation with communities or SANRAL, ignoring crime roots, and resembling divisive barriers like the Berlin Wall – seen by critics as separating rich from poor rather than enhancing security.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
