Cape Town - The fatal shooting of two men in Camps Bay on Wednesday has raised concern about the safety of tourists in the area as the holiday season approaches.
One of the victims was a taxi driver who was allegedly the target, while it seems the other, a photographer, was shot in the head during the crossfire.
Freedom Front Plus City councillor and a member of the economic growth and tourism portfolio committee, Paul Jacobson, said the incident and the attacks on the Atlantic Seaboard that had been shared on social media were concerning.
“These incidents of attacks at a prime tourist location, once recognised as a world pristine and prestigious area to tour, is now in decay, and it’s a matter of time before we reach junk status. My portfolio in economic growth, and tourism is what I’m incredibly concerned about.
“The only way we can grow maturely and responsibly and resolve poverty and provide better services is through economic growth. That means we need tourists to have confidence in this area. We also need residents to have confidence in an area where they live, which affects the property prices,” he said.
Jacobson said however many law enforcement officers had been assigned to the Atlantic Seaboard, it was not enough.
Ward councillor Nicola Jowell said indications were that the incident could have been related to a specific incident between taxi drivers on the route from Hout Bay.
She said there was a continual call to better capacitate the Camps Bay police station, which she said ran on a “minimal level of staff”.
“The summer season does usually have with it an increase in deployment at the station, with operational personnel from other areas assisting in policing in this precinct. The key is that SAPS should be clamping down on illegal firearms and working to have them removed off the streets and out of circulation,” Jowell said.
Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen said regardless of the motive, these types of events should not occur in any area in the province.
“I want to assure both locals and those not from our shores that we will do everything in our power to apprehend these unscrupulous characters,” he said.
Allen said the department was activating the Tourism Safety Officers to ensure the safety of visitors in the city and Table Mountain National Park.
“The perpetrators of this crime must immediately be arrested, as they have no regard for life and would go to great lengths to not be held accountable,” he said.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the circumstances of the shooting incident were still under investigation.