Controversial N2 barrier won’t stop gang violence, says acting Police Minister

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia says he does not believe a barrier fence or wall along Cape Town’s N2 highway is an effective measure to curb crime within those communities.

Motorists frequently come under attack while travelling to and from the airport from criminal elements who often vanish into communities living along the highway.

However, in response to a parliamentary question from Build One South Africa (BOSA), Cachalia said he does not think the proposed wall constitutes a substitute for sustained, visible policing.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’ announcement that he plans to erect a barrier along the N2 as a crime prevention measure has courted much controversy in recent months.

Minister Cachalia said the South African Police Service (SAPS) has not determined that the safety project proposed by the City of Cape Town constitutes a substitute for sustained, visible policing or enhanced investigative capacity.

He said that while the construction of a barrier wall may contribute to situational crime prevention along the N2 by restricting pedestrian access to the roadway and potentially reducing certain opportunistic crimes directed at motorists, it will not directly address organised criminal activity beyond the roadside environment.

Furthermore, Cachalia does not believe the barrier will have any impact on curbing firearm-related offences, gang-related violence, or broader public order challenges affecting the surrounding communities.

BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane is among those opposed to the project, stating that it will entrench apartheid-era spatial planning by dividing communities and keeping poverty out of sight.

BOSA party spokesperson Roger Solomons echoed these concerns regarding the allocation of city resources.

"We will continue opposing the building of this wall and the hundreds of millions that will be spent by the DA-led City of Cape Town, which rather needs to go towards real crime-fighting measures across our communities, especially the Cape Flats."

Cachalia maintains that effective crime reduction requires an integrated approach, combining environmental design interventions with sustained policing, intelligence, and prosecutorial action.