Cape Town N2 concrete wall: City to proceed with R114m safety project

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18-09-2026
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Cape Town Etc
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The City of Cape Town is moving ahead with plans for a nine-kilometre concrete wall along the N2, despite growing debate over whether a physical barrier is the right answer to the safety problems facing motorists and pedestrians on the busy highway.

The project, known as N2 Edge, is expected to cost about R114 million and is being positioned by the City as a measure to improve safety and restrict uncontrolled access to the highway.

According to the Cape Argus, Mayor and DA mayoral candidate Geordin Hill-Lewis confirmed that the City intends to proceed with the project while speaking to the media during the launch of his fourth pledge to Cape Town residents in Rocklands, Mitchells Plain.

For communities living alongside the N2, however, the proposed wall has become part of a much broader conversation about crime, poverty, infrastructure and how Cape Town responds to safety concerns.

Hill-Lewis pointed to the N2’s pedestrian safety record as one of the reasons for the project.

According to him, 70% of pedestrian deaths in the City occur on the N2. He also referred to the recent death of a 16-year-old boy from Khayelitsha who was struck by a vehicle on the highway while allegedly in the process of committing a crime.

Hill-Lewis said incidents involving people entering the highway occur frequently and argued that access to a major road should not be unrestricted.

The existing fence along parts of the N2, he said, has been in place for more than 25 years and has deteriorated to the point where it no longer provides an effective barrier.

The proposed concrete structure is therefore being presented as a more robust replacement.

The project is not without its critics.

Hill-Lewis has compared the City’s proposal with concrete barriers being constructed by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) along other roads, including the R300 and near Langa.

His argument is that similar infrastructure has attracted less controversy when built by other government agencies, while the City’s N2 proposal has become heavily politicised.

But critics say the debate goes beyond whether a wall can physically restrict access.

Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane, Cape Town mayoral candidate Roger Solomons and BOSA activists have called for the City’s priorities to be reconsidered.

Maimane argued that money allocated to the wall should instead be directed towards public safety measures such as additional Metro Police officers, improved street lighting and support for neighbourhood watches.

His criticism also places the N2 debate within the wider socioeconomic challenges facing communities along the highway.

There are also practical concerns about the effectiveness of the proposed barrier.

Cape Town councillor Emre Uygun welcomed the decision to continue with the project but said residents and motorists should have a meaningful opportunity to influence its design and construction.

He has called for greater transparency around the tender process, including details such as the wall’s proposed height, width and construction specifications.

Uygun also pointed to incidents where criminals have reportedly climbed barriers elsewhere on the road network.

Jamii Hamlin, a water quality advocate and Helderberg Ward 15 candidate, similarly raised concerns after video footage reportedly showed three men scaling a 2.6-metre wall during a smash-and-grab incident on the N2.

The examples have fuelled a key question: how difficult will the new wall actually be to get around?

The N2 is more than a major transport route through Cape Town.

Every day, thousands of people use it to travel between communities, workplaces and the city’s economic centres. For motorists, particularly those travelling through areas where smash-and-grab incidents and other roadside crimes are a concern, safety on the route is a very real issue.

Uygun said motorists have also encountered what he described as deliberate placement of rocks underneath bridges, allegedly in preparation for attacks.

He said criminals can use nearby informal settlements as escape routes after targeting motorists.

These concerns have strengthened calls from some residents and political representatives for stronger measures to protect people travelling on the highway.

While the City intends to proceed, questions about the project’s design, cost and effectiveness remain part of the public debate.

Uygun has called for ratepayers and people who use the N2 regularly to have their say before construction takes place.

Meanwhile, critics of the wall argue that physical infrastructure alone cannot address the underlying causes of crime, including unemployment and limited enforcement capacity.