A gunman with a semi-automatic rifle held up motorists on the notorious N2 in Cape Town on Wednesday afternoon, despite heightened law enforcement patrols on the highway.
Images which appear to depict the man dressed in black with at least two accomplices on the roadside were shared by @CapeTownFreeway on X. This occurred on the N2 inbound before Mew Way, Khayelitsha, at about 2pm.
The culprits evaded arrest.
Cape Town public safety MMC JP Smith said: “City officials responded swiftly, but the perpetrators escaped into the nearby informal settlement before they could be apprehended and remain at large.”
The N2 around the city has been dubbed “the hell run” due to the frequency of smash-and-grab attacks, which include rocks thrown at motorists.
Councillor Emre Uygun from the Freedom Front Plus said he was alarmed by the brazenness of the criminals on Wednesday afternoon. He said this was similar to an incident on Tuesday “where an armed individual stood in the middle of the N2 just after the Spine Road turnoff, attempting to force vehicles off the road to rob them”.
The situation on the N2 is spiralling out of control ... We cannot afford any further attempts to downplay or dismiss the ongoing attacks and the usual blame-shifting between Sanral, the SA Police Service and the City of Cape Town
— Emre Uygun, FF+ councillor
He questioned the effectiveness of the deployment of 40 metro police officers to the N2 next to Cape Town International Airport since October.
“The ongoing attacks of motorists raises serious questions about the effectiveness of that deployment,” he said.
“After reports emerged yesterday of motorists being forced off the N2, I personally travelled on the N2 and did not observe a single police, law enforcement or traffic vehicle stationed or actively patrolling the area after the incident. If anyone wants to dispute that claim, I have my entire trip on the N2 recorded on a dashcam.”
On Wednesday night he said he had learnt of more reports of motorists being attacked on the N2, with windows smashed.
“The situation on the N2 is spiralling out of control and requires urgent intervention from all three spheres of government. Our highways need visible policing, rapid response and real protection of motorists.
“We cannot afford any further attempts to downplay or dismiss the ongoing attacks and the usual blame-shifting between Sanral, the SA Police Service and the City of Cape Town.”
He asked the metro to arrange drone operations on the N2 next to the airport due to many robbers escaping into nearby informal settlements.
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