SCA appeal puts Cape Town’s Culemborg eviction on hold
An application by Ndifuna Ukwazi to appeal the eviction of 266 people from Transnet-owned land in Cape Town has temporarily halted enforcement, while the City says the delay prolongs safety risks and the group warns residents could be left homeless.
The City of Cape Town has launched a specialised SWAT team and a Metro Police Aviation unit to combat gang violence, extortion, and high-risk arrests. Equipped with drones, aircraft, thermal cameras, and artificial intelligence tracking technology, the units aim to support high-risk crime operations across the city. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Safety and Security Minister JP Smith unveiled the units on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, showcasing the city's increasing arsenal of high-tech crime-fighting equipment.
Hill-Lewis emphasized the city's commitment to making Cape Town safer, stating that the administration "will stop at nothing" to build resources and powers. He defended the new units against accusations of "military-style" policing, highlighting the officers' extensive SAPS Special Task Force experience and the addition of over 1,300 new City police officers to the force during this term.
The new SWAT team and Metro Police Aviation unit will collaborate, with the aviation unit using aircraft and drones to patrol crime hotspots, track suspects, and assist in search-and-rescue operations. The units will feed live information into the City's Joint Policing Services Operational Centre (JPSOC), a digital "nerve centre" that integrates various safety technology solutions to improve situational awareness and inform decision-making.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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