SANParks deploys “boots on the ground” to deal with crime on Table Mountain

There has been an increase in reports of violent crime on Table Mountain. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks

• There have been reports of an increase in violent crime on Table Mountain.
• In response, SANParks has more than doubled the number of Sea, Air and Mountain (SEAM) rangers on Table Mountain over the past year.
• This is according to its CEO, Hapiloe Sello, who told Parliament on Tuesday SANParks has also invested in crime-fighting technology.
• MPs questioned whether these interventions are enough to solve the problem.

SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello says resources are being allocated to fight crime on Table Mountain, but she acknowledged that it may not be enough.

Sello was briefing Parliament’s portfolio committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries on Tuesday.

In recent months, there has been an increase in reports of crime, such as muggings, in Table Mountain National Park.

Volunteer groups under the banner of #SaveTableMountain have started a petition calling on SANParks to deal with rising crime and the deterioration of trails on the mountain.

Presenting in Parliament on Tuesday, Sello said the mountain faces an urban crime “spillover” from the city.

“The national park is a microcosm of the challenges that the City of Cape Town faces,” she said.

Sello said the park is vast in size and has open access, meaning many areas don’t have fences or gates.

In the past year, SANParks has increased the number of “boots on the ground” by employing more Sea, Air and Mountain (SEAM) rangers, from 16 to 40. SANParks staff have increased from 188 to 240. SANParks is appointing a senior manager of visitor safety and protection services – someone who “understands urban crime”, said Sello.

The volunteer safety services will be revitalised in 2026, she said.

The park is a “critical pillar” in SANParks’ revenue generation and a “major contributor to our financial sustainability”, said Sello.

Over the past five years, the park generated over R1.34-billion in revenue, largely through the cable car, Cape Point and the Boulders Penguin Colony.

“The issue of crime is by far the largest and most critical risk we face on Table Mountain … We are increasing our investment. The question is: will there ever be enough, given the size of the problem?”

SANParks has also invested in new security technology, such as drones and bodycams for rangers.

“We are hopeful and positive about how technology will assist us,” she said.

Sello said crime statistics showed a decrease in crime on the mountain. Numbers from SANParks previously sent to GroundUp, show that there were 133 robberies in 2023, and 58 in 2024. But this year, there have already been 53 robberies, and the statistics show robberies tend to spike towards the end of the year.

EFF MP Nazier Paulsen raised doubt over whether SANParks’ increase in staff would “ensure an immediate and significant reduction in criminal incidents”.

ANC MP Nkhensani Kate Bilankulu said, “Despite the enhanced security measures described, reports of attacks, assault, and illegal poaching … remain a concern.”

Bilankulu asked about the targets SANParks was using to measure the success of crime interventions, whether park management would be held accountable if targets are not met, and requested that progress reports be shared publicly.

MK party MP Siyabonga Mkhize said that despite the billions in revenue generated by the park, visitor safety remained a “failure”. He questioned whether SANParks has “lost public trust”.

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