Cape Town’s N2 wall: much-needed protection or tone-deaf Apartheid flashback?

One of the most iconic lines from 20th century history comes from the moment that the Berlin Wall fell. Just about everyone has seen the footage of US President Ronald Reagan instructing Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” in 1987.

Fast forward 39 years and ongoing violence along Cape Town’s N2 – the route widely known as the “hell run” to Cape Town International Airport – has led to the announcement that another wall will be constructed, this time to create a physical barrier between a sprawling informal settlement and the highway. This decision has sparked controversy, with some praising the decision, others belittling it as a move reminiscent of Apartheid. 3Cube Property Solutions has put together a lowdown of both perspectives. 

Perspective 1: A much-needed safety barrier

Let’s start with the rationale behind the wall: this stretch of road has not been nicknamed “the hell run” without good reason. Criminals stand on bridges along this stretch and throw rocks down at the road to smash windshields and force vehicles to stop, creating opportunities for innocent motorists to be robbed. Another popular modus operandi is placing spikes or debris in the road to cause punctures to force motorists to stop. Lives have been senselessly lost.

In the words of City of Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, “It is not fair that a small number of criminal elements are impacting the safety of hundreds of thousands of daily users of the N2”. Hill-Lewis’s proposed solution is to build a security barrier that stretches across 9km of this highway. Proponents of the wall point out that the project also provides benefits for the area’s residents: it will create new pedestrian crossings, improved lighting and access control and a reduced risk of illegal dumping. 

According to Hill-Lewis, the project will include the deployment of 40 new metro officers along the stretch of road, additional CCTV cameras and automated number plate recognition.

In a nutshell, those in favour of the wall laud the project for safer drives to and from the airport and fewer opportunities for criminal behaviour.

Perspective 2: A return to Apartheid spatial logic

According to Siyabulela Mamkeli, a City of Cape Town councillor from the GOOD party, the proposed wall is a physical barrier intended to conceal poverty from tourists travelling from the airport to the CBD. He also argues that the wall will trap residents in unsafe conditions with inadequate services.

Independent Media reports that a long-standing Khayelitsha community leader, who prefers to remain anonymous, has expressed strong opposition to the wall. He expresses concern that while the City of Cape Town has informed the community that there is no land to relocate Khayelitsha residents to for a better life, they have had no problem allocating more than R100 million to build the wall. Residents widely feel that the funds allocated to the wall should be redirected to housing, infrastructure and services that directly benefit vulnerable communities.

Over and above these community concerns, SANRAL notes that they were not consulted in the decision-making process and that there’s uncertainty around jurisdiction, which raises questions about planning and coordination for the project.

Another Khayelitsha activist, Mbulelo Dwane, expresses the community’s vehement rejection of the N2 wall, based on the view that crime on the N2 is negligible compared to the crime experienced by law-abiding Khayelitsha residents.

In short, according to its opponents, the wall is reminiscent of Apartheid, did not follow the correct protocols in the planning process and will worsen already-shocking crime levels within the township.

The debate around Cape Town’s proposed N2 wall ultimately reflects the complexity of governing a dynamic, unequal and fast-growing city. While the symbolism of walls carries historical weight, the N2 is a vital economic artery, and its users need to be protected. 3Cube Property Solutions remains on the cutting edge of developments – the positive, the challenging and the complex – in the Mother City. If you’re interested in buying, selling or renting industrial or commercial property in Cape Town, get in touch.

Image credit: Khayelitsha, Township bei Kapstadt by Olga Ernst | Wikimedia | CC BY-SA 4.0 | https://tinyurl.com/3kb5ak4n