Table Mountain Safety Forum

Table Mountain Safety Forum

The Table Mountain Safety Forum (TMSF) has been reinstated to address all safety concerns in the Table Mountain National Park and facilitate the necessary action plans   among all relevant stakeholders.  

The TMSF was formed in 2011 to tackle the increase in crime reported in the Table Mountain National Park.  It was established to increase the safety of visitors on Table Mountain, through a focused and coordinated approach by all role players.

Regular meetings, hard work and coordinated efforts, has resulted in many successes including the recent arrest of suspects who mugged 2 University of Cape Town students in November 2015.

In 2015, the Department of Community Safety has started to re-engage the various role players of the TMSF with the view to broaden inclusion on the forum . The aim is to reassure the public that local authorities are working tirelessly to curb and prevent the occurrence of crime on Table Mountain.

The TMSF comprises of:

• senior representatives from the South African National Parks (SANParks),
• the South African Police Services (SAPS),
• the Western Cape Government,
• the City of Cape Town and its law enforcement affiliates,
• the Central City Improvement District,
• Cape Town Tourism bodies, and
• various user groups and interest groups such as the Pedal Power Association, the Hikers Network and Table Mountain Watch.

The forum focuses on:

• managing incidents and data analysis,
• encourage volunteerism,
• effective communication,
• victim support services,
• the use of technology to complement the existing operations,
• community involvement through neighbourhood watches and Community Police Forums (CPF), and
• monitoring and evaluation.

TMSF co-operative operational success

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is in place between all the relevant law enforcement agencies, and a joint operational control centre is in place for efficient detection, response and monitoring of incidents for the entire Table Mountain National Park.

A closer partnership between the law enforcement and partnering safety organisations ensure constant communication to report and address safety risks on the mountain.

The City of Cape Town‘s emergency number 107 (from a landline) and 021 480 7700 (from a mobile) will be directly linked to the Joint Operation Centre (JOC) where SANParks officials will assist with location confirmation to help dispatch the appropriate emergency response units.

The 24-hour patrol operated by SANParks in the Table Mountain National Park with more than 150 rangers patrolling during the day and a reduced patrol at night assisted by service dogs. There are also increased patrols on the mountain, which will be done on foot, on horse-back and on all-terrain vehicles in co-operation between SAPS, Metro Police and City Law Enforcement.

Many graduates from the Chrysalis Academy have been deployed to SANParks to assist the SANParks rangers in their daily safety related tasks.

Safety is everyone’s responsibility

Safety on Table Mountain needs a holistic approach and co-operation between people visiting the park.

Everyone needs to take responsibility for their own immediate safety and those around them. The success of the TMSF is a success for Cape Town and the community at large.

Please report any incident on the mountain to the authorities in order for them to respond and take action in the best way possible. You can call 021 480 7700 (from a cell phone) or 107 (from a landline).

 “Through working better together as the public service, private entities, and the public at large, we are confident that we can stand united in ridding the Table Mountain National Park of anyone who thinks they will be able to get away with unlawful activity. As a community of mountain users our eyes are on you and through the dedicated work of the law enforcement agencies, you will be caught” the TMSF said.