R107 million N2 security wall project to continue despite opposition

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23-04-2026
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The City of Cape Town expects to start construction of the R107 million wall to secure the stretch of N2 highway known as the “hell run” in January 2027, despite widespread criticism and opposition.

In December 2025, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced plans to secure one of the city’s most important routes, the main road connecting the city to the Cape Town International Airport and surrounding towns.

Over time, the N2 has garnered an infamous reputation due to the frequent attacks on motorists by criminals in the surrounding areas.

Thieves often take advantage of heavy congestion, robbing motorists when traffic is slow-moving, while others have resorted to throwing stones from the side of the road to smash windscreens, or using makeshift road spikes to puncture tyres.

These attempts at stopping and robbing motorists have led to several deaths and severe injuries for those travelling to and from the airport.

Despite opposition and jurisdiction disputes, the City of Cape Town is moving forward with the project, which will include a high-security wall between the highway and the surrounding areas.

The hope is that this will make it harder for criminals to attack road users before escaping and disappearing into the surrounding townships.

Speaking to CapeTalk, the city’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, confirmed that the project will go ahead.

He explained that the security wall project will improve conditions adjacent to the road, including using the road reserve to facilitate grazing, formalising spaces in secured areas, and increasing pedestrian bridges and access points.

“At least in the beginning, the goal is to improve the physical security along the road for road users and to prevent the needless loss of life of people crossing the freeway unlawfully.”

Smith confirmed that construction will begin in high-risk areas, forming a single continuous wall along the road once the project is completed.

Political parties and Police Minister sceptical

Political party Build One SA (BOSA) said that the project risks “echoing the spatial logic of the past”, and that it “will use infrastructure to divide communities and keep poverty out of sight”.

“For many residents, the project mirrors the thinking of apartheid spatial planning, separate communities and shielding inequality from those passing by,” said the party.

Smith rejected this, noting that the suggestion that the wall is being built to hide townships is a “macabre concept”.

“There are so many areas where the visible existence of areas of poverty is on display, the idea that one would bother to conceal one, and that this is the primary mover for having a wall, seems macabre,” he said.

Smith explained that the city has spent great resources to try to secure the route for commuters and residents in the area, including visible policing and camera systems.

“We’ve gotten to a point where we need physical barriers as part of a holistic crime prevention and safety intervention,” he added.

In response to a parliamentary question posed by BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane, acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said that the N2 safety project does not constitute a substitute for sustained visible policing.

“While the construction of a highway wall along the N2 may contribute to situational crime prevention by restricting pedestrian access to the roadway and potentially reducing certain opportunistic crimes directed at motorists, infrastructure interventions cannot replace core policing functions,” he said.

The acting minister noted that the South African Police Service (SAPS) continues to implement sustained operational measures aimed at securing arrests and successful prosecutions.

“Effective crime reduction requires an integrated approach combining environmental design interventions with sustained policing, intelligence, and prosecutorial action,” said Cachalia.

BOSA noted that it will continue to oppose the building of the wall, advocating instead for the R100 million budget to be directed towards crime-fighting measures in areas that need it most.