Following a recent incident that uncovered a new tactic used in violent protests, City’s MMC for Safety and Security JP Smith took to Facebook to warn members of the public.
This comes as violent protests relating to a new housing development and suspected extortion attempts erupted on Baden Powell Drive in the early hours of Friday morning.
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A Metro Police Tactical Response Unit was dispatched to the scene while waiting for the SAPS Public Order Policing Unit to be deployed.
‘Upon arrival, members discovered a trench had been dug across the entire width of the road, approximately 1.5 metres deep, [which] had already caused its first accident after a motorist had driven into it,’ said Smith.
‘Such a trench can only have been created so quickly where power tools and heavy construction machinery were used,’ he added.
City staff were called to the scene where they managed to fill the trench and restore the road, under the protection of metro police officers during the day.
Meanwhile, unit members patrolling the rest of Baden Powell Drive encountered a vehicle that had been stopped on the side of the road with an apparent hijacking taking place.
According to Smith, the assailant dropped his possessions when he fled the scene. Within his possessions, officers found a firearm.
The discovery of the alleged hijacking and firearm near the vicinity of the trench speaks to the potential dangers that motorists caught in this new protest tactic could find themselves. This is in addition to the already-prevalent dangers of vehicles being thrown with stones on the notorious Baden Powell strip.
Commenting on the surge of crime across the metro, Smith reiterated that the City’s decision to invest in and bolster law enforcement and emergency services resources over the years remains regret-free.
‘This is our city. We will not be held ransom. This is Cape Town!’ concluded Smith.
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Picture: JP Smith / Facebook
