Western Cape steps up N2 security

Western Cape Minister of Community Safety, Dan Plato, has stepped up security on the Airport Approach Road off Cape Town’s N2 highway following incidents of armed robbery in the area. According to media reports, robbery is rife on the highway with light motor vehicles and trucks being ambushed, forced to stop and then attacked and robbed by up to six men. According to IOL News, the latest incident occurred two weeks ago when a South African Airways (SAA) pilot’s vehicle hit a large box in the road. The box held a big concrete block and the pilot was forced to stop. As he did, he was approached by six men who threw bricks at his car and tried to break his windshield. He managed to drive away and call the police. The pilot was quoted by IOL as saying that an incident had occurred the night before he was ambushed and that a truck driver had been robbed and stabbed on the same stretch of road. IOL said that “this could not be confirmed”. Lieutenant Colonel Andre Taut from the Western Cape South African Police Service (Saps) Media Centre told FTW that he was aware of two incidents that had occurred on the same stretch of road but that they had been about a month apart. He said that there was no evidence to suggest that this modus operandi was a common practice. “We nevertheless caution drivers to be aware of the trend and to avoid stopping their vehicles when they hit an obstacle in the road,” he said. Taut added that “operational plans are in place” to address crime on the N2 and vicinity. Head of the Western Cape Ministry of Community Safety, Greg Wagner, said that Plato had met last week with the police commissioner and “other relevant safety stakeholders” and several interventions including increased police visibility had been agreed. Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) spokesperson Deidre Davids said in a short e-mail to FTW: “We are aware of incidents of attempted ambushing on the highway. Our response has been to engage the relevant security agencies, especially the police, to look at what can be done to mitigate this.” She urged drivers to be alert when travelling on the N2, especially at night. CAPTION Cape Town’s N2 highway where light vehicles and trucks have been ambushed.