'SAPS reversed flag ban after request by Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis'

'SAPS reversed flag ban after request by Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis'

Lester Kiewit speaks with JP Smith, Mayco member for Safety and Security.

(Listen to the interview in the audio below.)

Over the weekend, thousands of Capetonians gathered in the city centre for the festive lights switch-on.

Security guards refused entry to anyone carrying a banner or flag in support of Palestine amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Smith says the instruction to remove flags or banners of any kind came from the South African Police Service and not from the City of Cape Town.

The instruction was not aimed against any particular flag or banner; it was against all.

JP Smith, Mayco Member – Safety and Security

He says that the police were concerned that if people with conflicting views entered into the site carrying banners it could cause public disorder.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, upon hearing about the directive, reportedly asked SAPS to reverse the ban, which they then did.

That defused the conflict at the time.

JP Smith, Mayco Member – Safety and Security

I do not think it was a helpful instruction. I think it created more conflict than it attempted to prevent.

JP Smith, Mayco Member – Safety and Security