Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis officially introduced the Special Weapons and Tactics SWAT unit along with expansion of the aerial surveillance unit. The launching ceremony was held at the Joint Policing Services Operational Centre JPSOC in Goodwood, Cape Town on Wednesday, October 7 2026.
Cape Town Mayor Lewis was accompanied by Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security. Mayor Lewis shared that this newly introduced unit is an initiative to strengthen police departments in managing serious crime and high risk incidents in the province.
Mayor said, “I was pleased to see the City’s new specialized units in action today. The city will continue doing whatever it takes to make Cape Town safer, and will stop at nothing to build our resources and powers, because that is what the public deserves and needs”.
Moreover, Alderman JP Smith also shared that the unit will be deployed for the task by the end of the October month and the unit is designed to work in collaboration with South Africa Police Service. Smith said, “They were on a boot camp for quite a long time and the public can start expecting to see them operationally deployed after the end of this month when they graduate”.
According to the statement shared by Mayor Lewis, the SWAT and expansion of the aerial surveillance unit is part of the administration’s ongoing efforts of providing resources to the police department. Apart from the SWAT aerial surveillance unit 1,300 new city police officers have been recruited, a new Highway Patrol unit, major safety technology rollout and a new state of the art digital nerve centre which help city police officers to coordinate during operations.
Notably, the SWAT unit will coordinate in combatting gang related activity and extortion including executing high risk warrants of arrest, hostage and barricade suspects support to SAPS and security in high profile events.