In the last year, the detection system of the South African National Road Agency (Sanral) responded to more than 200 crime events on Cape Town’s N2 and R300 routes.
Also read: City beefs up festive season safety measures amid attacks on tourists
The ‘Hell Run’, as Daily Maverick reports, is a crime-ridden section of the N2 freeway in Cape Town, notorious for stone-throwing attacks on motorists. This stretch, including the route to and from Cape Town International Airport, remains a hotspot for such attacks.
Sanral’s Freeway Management System (FMS) monitors these high-priority zones. Randall Cable, Sanral’s western region manager, told Daily Maverick that determining priority sectors, such as these, is a collaborative effort involving road authorities and law enforcement.
Safety on the N2 is a shared responsibility among the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Government, City law enforcement, and the South African Police Service (SAPS).
‘Sanral is not a law enforcement agency, but works closely with them to support their activities.’ Cable adds that Sanral, as the road authority, oversees the road environment and engineering aspects of the N2.
The FMS, a joint initiative with the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government, covers portions falling under their jurisdictions. It compiles freeway statistics, including criminal and safety incidents, analysed monthly to identify high-priority sections.
‘The freeway statistics are analysed monthly and have indicated portions of the N2, R300, N1 and N7 as high-priority sections. This is a year-long initiative and not limited to the festive season.
‘The majority of these incidents on the N2 were robbery incidents, where stationary vehicles were targeted and attacked, followed by a decreased rate of smash and grabs at intersections.’
Recent months witnessed several stone-throwing incidents, including an attack on a 55-year-old tourist from Connecticut. Last week, Walter Fischel was shot and robbed while following GPS directions through Nyanga to Simon’s Town.
A Los Angeles couple faced a similar ordeal in October, with four men robbing them at gunpoint after a brick shattered their car window.
Tragically, earlier in the year, 69-year-old Leonie van der Westhuizen lost her life when a rock shattered her car window, which triggered cardiac arrest.
Incidents like these prompted discussions between Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town Tourism, and Google Maps representatives to explore safer route recommendations to and from Cape Town International Airport.
‘Fruitful discussions were held and the work will now be taken forward by Google technicians and Cape Town traffic and tourism authorities,’ says Lyndon Khan, spokesperson for the mayor.
City metro police department spokesperson Ruth Solomons noted that stone-throwing incidents are random and lack a clear pattern.
‘Although the city’s Public Emergency Communication Centre and Emergency Policing and Incident Command register service requests and/or calls for assistance in related incidents, SAPS is the leading crime prevention authority and the majority of incidents are reported directly to SAPS.
‘It should be noted that stone-throwing incidents are sporadic and do not follow a clear pattern. Complaints of stone-throwing are sent to enforcement agencies close to the location,’ Solomons told the Daily Maverick.
‘All City of Cape Town enforcement departments, including specialised units such as the Highway Patrol Unit, will act and support SAPS if notified about incidents or when officers come across such incidents.’
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