City ramps up law enforcement as record tourist season looms
Cape Town law enforcement officers will be out in full force this summer as the city braces for a record tourist season, with extra patrols, surveillance and safety measures rolled out across beaches, mountains and the CBD.
Image: Murray Swart
It's shaping up to be a record-breaking summer for the Mother City as officials brace for a surge of visitors expected to flood its beaches, mountains and streets in the coming months.
With international arrivals up by 11%, 235 weekly flights connecting 30 global destinations, and 72 cruise ship calls on the horizon, authorities are tightening security and rolling out one of the city’s biggest festive safety operations yet.
A total of 136 additional law enforcement officers and 300 cadets will be deployed across the CBD, beaches and tourist hotspots as part of a coordinated plan to keep residents and visitors safe during the peak season.
Government departments, Wesgro, the SAPS, CapeNature and South African National Parks (SANParks) met in the CBD this week for a tourism readiness briefing before heading to Table Mountain — one of the attractions expected to see massive foot traffic this summer.
Jacques Scholtz, Director of Tourism at the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, said enhanced visibility would be a cornerstone of this year’s safety strategy.
“One of our flagship projects is funding the enhanced deployment of tourism law enforcement officers, a project of the City of Cape Town supported by the Western Cape government,” Scholtz said. “This specialist unit provides additional safety and visibility in key areas including Bo-Kaap, Table Mountain, the city and surrounding areas.”
Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said the expanded team would ensure consistent coverage of high-traffic areas.
“Our 300 cadets from the City’s training programme will be stationed across the CBD, recreation areas and beaches, which can see between 30 000 and 50 000 people on peak days,” Smith said. “We’re also reinforcing traffic enforcement, metro police and our tourism safety unit.”
Smith said safety in the CBD, Bo-Kaap, Table Mountain and the Waterfront remained top priorities.
“We’ll be using our CCTV network of more than 200 City-owned cameras, another 300 private-sector cameras, drones, bodycams, dashcams and other digital surveillance tools," he said.
He added that the City would continue to coordinate with SAPS, neighbourhood watches, private security and provincial agencies to ensure swift responses to incidents.
Meanwhile, Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander said the strong travel figures reflected growing global confidence in Cape Town.“
International two-way seat capacity is up by 11% compared to last year — the equivalent of 200 000 additional seats between November 2025 and March 2026,” Stander said.