SANRAL claps back at Cape Town mayor’s N2 Wall safety claims

SANRAL says it was never consulted on the City of Cape Town’s proposed N2 security wall and rejects claims that it failed communities along the highway. TheSouth African National Roads Agency(SANRAL) has pushed back against claims by Cape Town MayorGeordin Hill-Lewisthat national authorities have failed to keep communities along the N2 safe, saying it was never consulted on the City of Cape Town’s proposed security wall project. In a statement issued on Tuesday, SANRAL said it had taken note of recent public pronouncements and video material released by the mayor in support of the City’s N2 Safety Project, including remarks suggesting that SANRAL had “completely failed” communities living along the national road.

SANRAL Western Cape provincial head Randall Cable said the agency wanted to place its position clearly on record. “SANRAL wishes to put it on record that it has to date not been engaged by the City of Cape Town on the proposed security wall planned for the N2,” Cable said. SANRAL said road authority jurisdictions are crucial for establishing clear responsibility for the planning, construction, maintenance, and safety of road users and infrastructure.

He emphasised that while the N2 is a strategically important national route, responsibility for different sections of the road is split between multiple authorities, a distinction that is critical for planning, construction, maintenance and safety interventions. According to SANRAL, the N2 corridor falls under three separate road authority jurisdictions. The section from the city centre to the Raapenberg Interchange (N2/M5) falls under the City of Cape Town.

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The stretch from the Raapenberg Interchange to just before the Swartklip Interchange (N2/R300), including the Airport Approach Road, is managed by the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure. From just before the Swartklip Interchange eastwards to Somerset West, the N2 falls under SANRAL’s jurisdiction. “A basic understanding of who the relevant road authority jurisdictions are is extremely useful when reporting incidents, as it will speed up response times,” he said.

In the video released by the mayor, Hill-Lewis argues that the project enjoys unanimous community support. He outlines planned interventions including repairing and reinforcing an existing but deteriorated security barrier, upgrading lighting and introducing new pedestrian crossings.

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