Why Cape Town has no pointsmen – and what the city plans to do instead

As traffic congestion worsens in the Mother City, the presence of pointsmen has been noticeably missing.

Alderman JP Smith, City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, explained that while the city had pointsmen in the past, they were removed due to concerns over outsourcing policing powers.

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“You can't outsource or defer a policing power when somebody is employed by a third party. For the same reason, we can't give peace officers status to private security guards.

“You can’t wield those powers to direct traffic, or in the case of a peace officer, the powers to arrest, seize, and search if you are an employee of a private company.”

Smith said the City is exploring an alternative option, partnering with the City Centre Improvement District for a rental cop model whereby third parties can sponsor the points people, but they remain under the City’s control.

The approach aims to address traffic congestion while ensuring policing powers remain in the hands of the municipality.

“The intersections have already been identified. We will start with the recruitment of staff, and we will do a rental cop agreement with them,” he said.

He noted that the city is facing a resource challenge, and most traffic vehicles seen on the road have already been allocated to an incident or task.

“If you see a vehicle, it is very likely that it is en route to something, and on the other end of that is a member of the public or another government department who has called for a service.”

To listen to Smith in conversation with CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit, use the audio player below: