Hill-Lewis hopes acting Police Minister Cachalia can advance CoCT's proposal for metro cops to have investigative powers
Hill-Lewis said the City of Cape Town filed the proposal on Friday, with an aim to get more convictions related to gang, drug and gun offences.
Police Minister Firoz Cachalia after his swearing-in as the acting minister of police at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 1 August 2025. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN
CAPE TOWN - Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has called on the new acting police minister, Firoz Cachalia, to support a proposal for the city's metro police to be granted powers to investigate crime.
Hill-Lewis said the City of Cape Town filed the proposal on Friday, with an aim to get more convictions related to gang, drug and gun offences.
The mayor said he hopes the acting minister will advance the city's proposal.
"I have written to new acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia to ask his to support these regulatory proposals, and to help us get the existing cooperation agreement with SAPS working well in our city."
Hill-Lewis said that the proposal formed part of the city’s official comment on new draft regulations for municipal policing powers.
"The city takes 400 illegal guns off the streets per year but the conviction rate for these cases is just 5% due to our broken criminal justice system. With investigative powers, we can vastly improve this situation for long-suffering communities."