Murray Swart|Published
Thousands of people have rejected Cape Town's proposed R115 million N2 security wall, arguing through a public consultation that money would be better spent on education, job creation and housing.
The opposition emerged from a voluntary consultation in which 16,210 of the 17, 265 people who answered the question about the wall opposed it. The findings, contained in The People’s Cost of Care Report: Public Perspectives on the Proposed N2 Wall and the Allocation of R115 Million of Public Funds, compiled by Candice Leigh King, come ahead of the City's formal public engagement process expected to begin in the new year.
The findings offer insight into the views of consultation participants, but cannot be taken as representative of Cape Town’s population as a whole.
Education, jobs and housing top spending priorities
When asked where public funds should be invested, 14,471 participants, or 83.8%, selected education, youth development and skills.
Job creation and small business support were selected by 13,614 participants, or 78.9%, while 12,400, or 71.8%, selected housing and infrastructure.
Women’s shelters and measures to address gender-based violence were selected by 11,470 participants, or 66.4%.
Alternative N2 safety infrastructure, including a bridge, was selected by 2,101 participants, or 12.2%. The proposed wall itself was selected by 413 participants, or 2.4%.
Participants could select up to five priorities, meaning the percentages are not mutually exclusive.
The findings add to the debate over how the City should balance public safety spending with investment in communities facing poverty, unemployment and inadequate services.
Protests against the proposed N2 wall have also highlighted concerns about the project and the wider social and economic divisions surrounding it.
Questions remain over the wall’s safety benefits
The consultation does not establish whether a wall would reduce crime or whether alternative investments would produce better safety outcomes.
The City has defended the broader N2 Edge Safety Project as a safety intervention. However, the debate has raised questions about the role of physical barriers alongside policing and other measures to address crime.
An earlier report examined whether the proposed N2 security wall would truly curb crime, considering the limits of infrastructure as a response and the need for broader law-enforcement measures.
Recent incidents have kept the safety question in focus. A report on a smash-and-grab incident at Borcherds Quarry highlighted concerns behind the proposal and renewed debate over the appropriate response.
The consultation report does not provide technical evidence to settle these questions. Its findings concern participants’ views on the proposal and their priorities for public spending, rather than an assessment of the wall’s likely effectiveness.
Written submissions reveal differing views
The report includes 12,915 substantive written messages, after 36 blank or non-substantive entries were excluded.
Some participants questioned whether a wall would address the underlying causes of crime.
One participant wrote: “A wall will not stop crime. This is not a solution.”
Another supported the proposal, saying: “I do support the wall as a safety measure because vehicles are constantly targeted.”
These comments reflect views submitted through the consultation and should not be treated as independently verified evidence of the wall’s effectiveness.
The report also recorded 16,222 participants who indicated they wanted to remain involved, while 9,942 voluntarily provided an email address.
How the consultation was conducted
The voluntary consultation ran from 23 July to 6 August 2026, using a Google Forms questionnaire distributed mainly through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and personal and professional networks.
There were no eligibility requirements, and participation was self-selected. The form was configured to limit participation to one response per participant.
According to the report, 22.9% of participants currently lived in the Cape Flats, 22.4% had family living there, 3.4% had previously lived there and 51.3% did not currently live there.
Because the consultation was voluntary and did not use a representative sampling method, its results cannot be generalised to Cape Town’s population as a whole.
The report does not claim to determine the correct policy outcome. It presents participants’ views as an additional source of public input alongside the technical, financial, environmental, legal and other assessments relevant to the project.
City says N2 Edge project remains in early planning
The City of Cape Town says the N2 Edge Safety Project remains in its early planning phase, with several technical, statutory and governance processes still under way.
Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility Councillor Rob Quintas said the City would engage relevant stakeholders, including affected communities and Cape Town residents, as these processes progress.
“All comments that are submitted as part of the public engagement process will be considered once the process has commenced,” Quintas said.
He said the City would inform the public well in advance of the start of the engagement process, which is anticipated to begin in the new year.
The City’s response did not directly address the consultation report’s findings, the reported R115 million cost estimate or the evidence supporting the project’s anticipated safety benefits.
The consultation report’s findings remain an account of the views of those who participated, rather than a representative measure of public opinion across Cape Town.