Community members across Cape Town have raised the alarm over a spike in stone-throwing incidents and violent attacks along the N2 and R300 highways – corridors now notorious for life-threatening assaults on unsuspecting motorists.
According to reports, the trend has triggered growing calls for urgent intervention as drivers continue to fall victim despite CCTV surveillance and routine patrols.
Families, commuters targeted
Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) councillor Emre Uygun says his office has been inundated with complaints from traumatised motorists.
Last week at around 20:00, a family from Johannesburg – including a baby – came under attack when a stone smashed into their vehicle. While no one was physically injured, the impact caused significant damage and left the family deeply shaken.
A few days later, a Somerset West doctor was injured near the Borcherds Quarry off-ramp. A stone struck his vehicle, leaving him with chest injuries that required hospital treatment.
In another reported case, a mother told Uygun how her son’s car was struck earlier this month along the Stellenbosch Arterial as he approached the R300.
Over 2 200 crime-related incidents in a year
The Cape Town Metro Police have recorded 2 215 crime-related incidents along the N2 and R300 corridors between November 2024 and November 2025.
These include:
- Stone-throwing
- Robberies
- Shootings
Within the Cape Town International Airport precinct alone, 42 brick-throwing incidents were reported between April 2024 and March 2025, with at least five confirmed attacks in the past six months.
The attacks typically follow a consistent pattern: stones or bricks are hurled from pedestrian bridges, roadside spots, or the edges of nearby informal settlements, shattering windscreens and forcing motorists to stop – where they are then vulnerable to robbery, hijacking or assault.
Uygun has dubbed the stretch from Somerset West to Cape Town International Airport, including the R300 junction, “Hell Run”, warning that brazen attackers often vanish before authorities arrive, many of them believed to be youths from nearby settlements.
City denies extent of criminal activity
The City of Cape Town, however, disputes the scale of criminal incidents described.
JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, confirmed the City is aware of the attacks but stressed that the majority of documented incidents are not crimes.
Of the 2 125 incidents logged by authorities, he said about 85% were linked to breakdowns or mechanical failures – not criminal acts.
Smith said the City has strengthened its response through:
- The Highway Patrol Unit
- Routine debris removal
- Constant CCTV surveillance of known hotspots
- Collaboration with SAPS, the Western Cape Government, and private security firms
“While SAPS remains the lead agency on crime prevention, we do our utmost to support their efforts,” Smith said.
“We cannot maintain a constant presence at every hotspot, but we adjust patrols as threats evolve.”
Security infrastructure under strain
Despite 285 CCTV cameras along key highway routes, councillors argue that broken fencing, blind spots and inadequate physical barriers continue to leave motorists vulnerable.
Residents and civic groups are urging the City and SAPS to escalate interventions before lives are lost.
Have you witnessed – or suffered – a stone-throwing incident along the N2?
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