Cape Town —Friends of Table Mountain have handed over a petition at the gates of Parliament to call for further security and policing at the Table Mountain National Park.
Friends of Table Mountain put together a petition in response to the increasing number of petty crimes that have occurred in the park, which has become a hotspot for muggings. Friends of Table Mountain has called for signatures from citizens and visitors, with the petition having grown to 11 000 signatures already.
According to Friends of Cape Town spokesperson, Andy Davies, has asked for security to be increased at the Park to not deter any tourists or visitors.
“In December, we started this petition as a result of the spike in crime at the end of 2023, and fortunately, we’ve seen a reduction in crime as a result of more visible policing and a number of important arrests, but what we are asking for is a more consistent and preventative approach towards crime on Table Mountain National Park” Davies said.
SANParks is suffering from crime despite its huge profits yearly, and they have asked for the minister to allocate more budget to tightening security at the Park.
Friends of Table Mountain say one of the country’s biggest tourist attraction sites has become a crime scene. The group put together a petition that garnered over 10 000 signatures calling for a safer Table Mountain. Andy Davies has more. https://t.co/UKGNgvRoNV#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/7WSa65qI9i
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) February 15, 2024
According to EWN, a small group of protestors gathered outside Parliament to hand over the petition to the minister of forestry, fisheries and environmental affairs and the minister of police, who both did not show up.
The petition was handed over to the Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson for Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Dave Bryant.
“We’ve been calling on the minister and SANParks to increase the security component and that doesn’t just mean putting random security on the mountain – it means ensuring that we have properly trained, properly equipped officers.”
Bryant said he would be passing on the petition to Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Barbara Creecy.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
