18/02/2026
Another crime incident occurred on the N2 today, and with all the media attention around this issue, it serves as a stark reminder that improved walling along the N2 is urgently needed to keep our residents safe from brazen attacks.
City officials responded swiftly, but the perpetrators escaped into the nearby informal settlement before they could be apprehended and remain at large.
Meanwhile, opposition political parties such as the PA, ANC, EFF and even the GOOD woke up to attack the City, rather than supporting practical safety interventions.
This past week, I met with National Minister Barbara Creecy to discuss ways in which the City, Province and National Government can work together to reduce pedestrian-related deaths on national and provincial roads within the Metro.
During the meeting, the importance of securing the N2 became clearer than ever. According to statistics supplied by the Minister, an average of 67% of road fatalities over the past five years within the Metro were pedestrians.
Of the 14 hotspots identified, all 14 are located on the N2.
In addition to providing vital insight into this challenge, the Minister also shared some positive news. Both crashes and fatalities have decreased annually since 2022 within the Province and the Metro. This demonstrates that through consistent enforcement and stable governance, reductions in loss of life can be achieved.
Crashes decreased from 1,270 in 2022 to 1,149 in 2025, while fatalities decreased from 1,439 to 1,280.
Traffic management is a constitutional function of local and provincial government, and this legal mandate gives us scope to be innovative. Imagine the impact we could make if our legal authority to investigate crime were strengthened by the Ministers of Police and Justice.
The statistics also show that driving under the influence is a major contributor to crashes within the Province and Metro. Most crashes occur on Saturdays and Sundays, and 37% of crashes within the Province occur between 18:00 and 22:00.
My request to the Minister was that the criminal justice system urgently needs to address this issue by securing strong convictions. We cannot allow the culture of drunk driving to continue.
This is a sentiment the Minister shared.
I will be writing to her formally regarding this request, because while we continue to arrest drunk drivers in their hundreds, the conviction rate sits at a paltry 2% to 7%. This sends a dangerous message to repeat offenders that they can get away with it, in the most severe cases, with literal murder.