MP Liezl van der Merwe has called for urgent action to protect tourists and locals from criminal syndicates targeting motorists near Cape Town International Airport.
In a parliamentary question-and-answer session Van der Merwe asked why there was “no visible policing” in the area, particularly at traffic lights and intersections where criminals allegedly prey on drivers for their cellphones.
“With regard to the safety of tourists, what are the reasons there is no visible policing in and around Cape Town International Airport where criminal syndicates target locals and tourists for their cellphones at traffic lights and intersections while sitting in their vehicles,” she asked.
Responding to the question, the police minister said the border policing team had a clear constitutional and legislative mandate to prevent, combat and investigate crime within the airport precinct. This includes routine crime prevention, proactive patrols and reactive policing under a five-pillar joint security concept with district support to tackle surrounding criminal activity.
Most reported incidents occurred outside the airport’s jurisdiction, he said.
Between April 1 2024 and March 31 2025, 42 cases were reported at Cape Town International Airport but the crimes took place at Exit 18 off the N2 into Borcherds Quarry Road near Nyanga. The police minister said victims reported the incidents once they arrived at the airport. The cases were then transferred to Nyanga police.
“The border policing at Cape Town International Airport has, through the provincial channels, requested to have Nyanga police station informed of the crime pattern being observed in their jurisdiction which is affecting those using the airport,” the minister said.
The apparent lack of police visibility at traffic intersections, roadways and queues around the airport did not mean there was no policing capacity, the minister said. Officers are deployed according to a structured security plan informed by environmental analysis and the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) safety requirements.
The minister said the SA Police Service’s (SAPS) legal mandate at the airport covered the airside, terminals, cargo area, general aviation and landside with geographical boundaries stretching from Tower Road to the south, Airport Approach to the west, and Agent and Freight roads to the north. To address crime outside the airport precinct, Nyanga police and the City of Cape Town have been tasked with maintaining static deployments in identified hotspots.
City of Cape Town Freedom Front Plus (FF+) councillor Emre Uygun recently called for more law enforcement tactics to be implemented after a woman was seriously injured when a concrete block was hurled at her vehicle. She had been travelling on the N2’s notorious “Hell Run” near the airport.
Other incidents include an American tourist who was robbed and shot in the face while travelling from Cape Town International Airport to Simon’s Town in November 2023. The attack occurred when the tourist was guided by GPS through Nyanga. An elderly German couple was robbed along Baden Powell Drive near Wolfgat that same year. The couple had stopped to take photos when they were attacked.
TimesLIVE
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