Private security guards have been deployed within the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) amid frustration at the government’s ability to combat crime at the prime tourist destination in Cape Town.
The privately sponsored Cobra unit was deployed a month ago in and around Lion’s Head. Dressed in branded camouflage uniforms with radios, batons and pepper spray, the unit is led by a civil society group that has appointed a local security firm. The initiative aims to provide backup for South African National Parks’ (SANParks) rangers and local enforcement to contain crime on the mountain.
“We are very proud that The Cobra’s Mountain Protection Team initiative is live and securing a patrol route around Lion’s Head, Signal Hill and the Camps Bay/Round House Glen areas,” the Cobra management committee said this week. “This initiative is backed by City Bowl and Atlantic seaboard hospitality businesses and private individuals, and is fully privately funded. Our primary objectives are to return confidence in the mountain for mountain-goers and to act as a deterrent for would-be criminals.”
Corporate sponsors include the Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Clarendon Boutique Hotel, Newmark Hotels & Reserves, property development group Blok, and the HCI Foundation — the social investment arm of empowerment group Hosken Consolidated Investments.
Some observers questioned the choice of security group Professional Protection Alternatives (PPA), which was accused of strong-arm tactics on Clifton Beach three years ago in a controversy leading to a parliamentary inquiry.
There were also questions around the legal framework governing private guards in public areas. “I would imagine that ... there would have to be an agreement between SANParks and the service provider for them to be contracted to work on the SANParks land,” said one well-placed local government source. “If the guards were not armed, then it might be less contentious, but armed is a problem.”
Some security stakeholders questioned how the project trumped other proposed private sector-led security initiatives inside the park, including one close to being finalised. “This didn’t happen overnight and it was done in such a way that nobody picked up on it. It does raise questions,” said a source.
Private security companies are increasingly involved in crime prevention in both rural and urban areas. Cape Town has a city improvement district programme whereby defined areas can raise additional rates to implement a city-approved business plan — typically including private security. These suburban initiatives are regulated in laws such as Cape Town’s city improvement bylaw, but it is unclear what legislation applies to the SANParks project.
The City referred queries to SANParks, adding it was “aware of the privately funded Cobra initiative that will be patrolling SANParks property,” said spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo.
PPA MD Walter Brown said the initiative has been endorsed by SANParks: “Since PPA Guarding deployed the Cobras Mountain Protection Team, there have been no reported crime incidents on the patrolled route and the community has been able to enjoy the patrolled route without compromising their safety.”
The 7am-to-7pm patrols are the first of their kind to be endorsed by SANParks, Brown said, adding that PPA Guarding’s sister company (PPA Tactical) had previously collaborated with law enforcement agencies, notably in the Clifton operation in 2021.
Since PPA Guarding deployed the Cobras Mountain Protection Team, there have been no reported crime incidents on the patrolled route and the community has been able to enjoy the patrolled route without compromising their safety
— PPA MD Walter Brown
“Any concerns regarding PPA Guarding’s involvement in this project in light of the alleged events that transpired at Clifton 4th Beach on December 23 2018 may be allayed by the fact that its sister company, PPA Tactical, that was involved in those alleged events was subsequently found not guilty of several charges preferred against it, arising from the allegation that its security officers had instructed beachgoers to leave the beach,” said Brown.
The Cobra project was explained in a pamphlet distributed in May to communities near Lion’s Head. Guards are registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority and available 365 days a year, it said. The birth of the Cobras coincided with other private sector-led security initiatives on the mountain, including a new drone surveillance service for parts of it adjoining the Atlantic seaboard.
One source involved with the Cobras said the organisers had “ticked all the boxes in terms of the authorities and was collaborating with all”. Guards had SANParks induction training to learn about the standard operating procedures. He said the group hoped to extend their area of operation beyond Lion’s Head.
All stakeholders are hoping heightened security will prevent crime upsurges of the kind that drove visitors away from Lion’s Head late last year. The crime spike resulted in a law enforcement blitz.
So far, the combined response to crime there — including from SANParks and law enforcement — has been effective, with incidents in the park dropping from 33 in November to six in December and one in January, according to TMNP figures. Last year 99 crime incidents were recorded on Table Mountain and Lion’s Head, according to the South African Mountain Accidents database.
Cobra unit sponsors said they are investing in the future of the city.
Newmark Hotels & Reserves CEO Neil Markovitz said: “Cape Town is unique not only because of its remarkable scenic beauty but because of the city’s easy accessibility to Table Mountain National Park and the magnificent trails which wind around Lion’s Head, Signal Hill and Table Mountain itself. We are therefore delighted to have partnered with the Cobras for this private initiative to improve safety in these areas to benefit both tourists and the local community.”
Nicky Schmidt, chair of Cape Town safety and environmental group Parkscape, said the initiative is symptomatic of the need to plug gaps in law enforcement. “Security service providers, neighbourhood watches, privately funded teams are filling gaps everywhere in suburbia.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.