Cape Town smash-and-grab crisis: 'Criminals are brazen. They know there are little to no consequences'

A violent smash-and-grab attack that claimed the life of Cape Town visitor Karin van Aardt has reignited concerns about the city’s worsening roadside crime.

The 64-year-old, who had just arrived to celebrate her grandchild's birthday, was fatally stabbed near Jakes Gerwel Drive, one of the city’s most notorious hotspots.

Anti-crime forums say her death is not an isolated tragedy but a predictable outcome of years of warnings about escalating violence and stagnant enforcement.

The City's safety officials acknowledge that hotspots have multiplied, with Jakes Gerwel Drive identified as the most problematic.

Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith says the City has made 25 smash-and-grab–related arrests in five months, but insists that SAPS cutbacks and the lack of shared crime data limit broader action.

Imraahn Mukaddam of the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition and the Elsies River Safety Initiative argues that congestion, poorly managed roadworks, and insufficient visible policing leave motorists trapped and vulnerable.

"We've been asking for much more visible signage and warnings to motorists when they are entering these hotspots. For instance, how difficult would it be to inform Google Maps that there are certain areas that need to be avoided so that tourists and people who are not aware of the dangers are warned, even on the GPS devices, that this is a problem area?

"Wherever you go, there are roadworks, but there's no planning around the safety of motorists and no planning around viable alternative routes. So, we are putting the blame squarely on the lack of proper management from the City of Cape Town."

Mukaddam says solutions once proven to work, such as visible patrols and community-supported lookout points, were discontinued when funding was withdrawn.

"We've been saying all along that the solution is having visible community patrollers at the hotspots that can warn motorists to roll up their windows, that can create awareness, but also just as a deterrent. It worked before; it actually worked. We brought smash and grabs down. From 2018 to 2022, we brought it down to almost zero by having visible patrols on the roads.

"The mayor withdrew the funding for that project when he withdrew the walking bus funding. This was a predictable outcome of an executive decision taken by the City of Cape Town, and now we are sitting with the consequences of that.

"As communities, we can assist in solving the problems; we want to assist in solving problems, but we also know the economic situation that most of our volunteers find themselves in, and there is absolutely no budget that allows for a stipend for community workers who want to become involved in community safety. We need to find the budget and provide the proper training and coordination."

Mukaddam emphasises that without these measures, criminals will remain mobile, opportunistic, and increasingly brazen.

"These criminals have just become so brazen because they know there are no consequences or very few consequences."

To listen to Mukaddam in conversation with CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, click below: