Cape Town pushes for policing powers as crime crisis deepens

CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit is joined by Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

Listen below:

Faced with rising crime, rampant gang violence, and streets where children no longer feel safe to play, the City of Cape Town is drawing a line in the sand.

Despite bold steps—including specialised task teams and LEAP officers on the streets—crime continues to plague communities, while conviction rates remain low.

The City says it’s ready to do more, but argues that its hands are tied.

With SAPS overstretched and the City’s officers lacking investigative powers, councillors are now pushing for a dramatic shift: full devolution of key policing powers.

At the next Council meeting, a resolution will demand the right to investigate gang violence, track illegal firearms, and run its own forensic testing.

RELATED: Would devolution of policing help reduce crime in Western Cape?

"Give our officers the power to investigate [violent crimes] properly, so we can actually get convictions, which is where the criminal justice system is failing most noticeably."

- Geordin Hill-Lewis, Executive Mayor - City of Cape Town

Hill-Lewis admits that giving the City wide-ranging investigative powers would need to be subject to scrutiny.

"There would have to be a proper, transparent rigorous oversight framework put in place."

- Geordin Hill-Lewis, Executive Mayor - City of Cape Town

Hill-Lewis says he believes the conversation around devolution of police power is becoming less political.

"People realise it's just sensible," he says.

"We've got these thousands of officers across the country, in our metros, who have the capacity to help... but can't help."

- Geordin Hill-Lewis, Executive Mayor - City of Cape Town

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.