Cape Town's high-tech crime-fighting aircraft, unveiled with huge anticipation in May 2024, is facing growing scrutiny as communities question whether the multimillion-rand tool is actually being used while deadly shootings continue to soar.
Marketed as a breakthrough in policing, the Eye in the Sky plane was launched with infrared cameras and specialised surveillance equipment designed to track suspects, follow fleeing gunmen and help officers react faster in high-risk areas. But with gun violence intensifying across the metro, residents in the most affected neighbourhoods say they have yet to see the aircraft make a meaningful impact, as Waar Brandit Inni Kaap reports.
Communities in Nyanga, Manenberg, Hanover Park, Mitchells Plain and Lavender Hill have endured another wave of bloodshed, with almost 30 murders recorded in just three days. Many locals say attacks happen so quickly that officers can't keep up, and some claim the aircraft has been missing during the worst flare-ups.