CAPE TOWN – A joint intelligence and tracing operation between the police and the City of Cape Town has resulted in the arrest of a second suspect in the murder of traffic officer Walter Van Rooyen, capping off a week of successful collaborative arrests across the metropole.

Six years in the making

Traffic officer Van Rooyen (49) was shot and killed in his patrol car on 17 March 2020 after arresting taxi driver Craig de Lilly for a traffic violation. De Lilly was initially arrested, but charges were provisionally withdrawn. He was subsequently rearrested and is currently awaiting trial.

For more than six years, Police have pursued a second suspect believed to still be operating in the taxi industry. Last month, the Police’s Provincial Organised Crime Unit requested the City’s assistance in tracing the individual.

A team from the City’s Safety and Security Information Management Service (SSIMS) conducted surveillance across various taxi routes and on Tuesday, the suspect was arrested.

Dwayne Smith appeared briefly in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where he opted not to apply for bail. The matter will now be transferred to the Cape Town Regional Court on Monday, where Smith and De Lilly are expected to appear together as preparations for the murder trial get under way.

Justice long overdue

Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, welcomed the arrest and urged a swift trial process.

“We welcome this second arrest and hope that the trial will proceed swiftly. Officer Van Rooyen’s family deserve justice and closure. They’ve already waited more than six years, with the trial still to come.

“I also want to applaud the City officers and their police counterparts who worked countless hours to secure the arrest of the suspects. In fact, this is the third collaboration in just the past week where tracing operations, led in part by the City’s tech tools, have had results. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when we leverage relationships, information and resources.”

A week of collaborative successes

The Van Rooyen arrest marks the third joint tracing operation in the past week to yield results.

On Wednesday 2 September, City services and police collaborated to arrest five smash-and-grab suspects in Elsies River. The suspects were identified using CCTV footage, after which police secured warrants of arrest. On the day of the operation, the City’s CCTV drone team provided real-time aerial surveillance, enabling ground officers to track and successfully apprehend the suspects.

Then on Wednesday 9 September, officers executed a tracing operation in Langa, resulting in the arrest of a suspect linked to an attack on a motorist along Jakes Gerwel Drive on 3 September. The individual was identified via CCTV and subsequently traced to an address in the area, where he was apprehended.

A pattern of results

The string of arrests underscores the growing effectiveness of intelligence-driven collaboration between police and City services, supported by the City’s technology infrastructure – including CCTV networks, drone surveillance and dedicated tracing teams.

With Smith’s arrest, both suspects in the Van Rooyen murder are now in custody. The case is expected to move to the Regional Court on Monday, marking a significant step toward a trial that officer Van Rooyen’s family has awaited for over half a decade.

ALSO READ: Man accused of killing Cape Town traffic cop back in the dock after case was dropped

Man accused of killing Cape Town traffic cop back in the dock after case was dropped