Cape Town 10111 outage: ActionSA demands to know why

Cape Town residents have had to turn to alternative emergency numbers after a technical fault disrupted the SAPS 10111 service.

SAPS confirmed that a Telkom line break affected its Maitland 10111 Call Centre, prompting technicians to work on restoring the service.

The disruption has drawn criticism from ActionSA, which questioned how communities can rely on police during emergencies when a key reporting line fails.

ActionSA demands answers

ActionSA Cape Town mayoral candidate Dereleen James called on SAPS to restore the service urgently and explain what caused the disruption.

She said residents facing crime should not have to worry about whether they can reach police when they need help.

“For residents who find themselves in an emergency, every minute matters,” James said.

ActionSA also wants SAPS to outline the steps it will take to prevent similar disruptions.

The party raised the outage against the backdrop of violent crime in the Western Cape, arguing that reliable access to emergency services remains critical for communities.

Here’s who residents can call

The City of Cape Town has urged residents who cannot reach 10111 to contact its Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700.

Residents can use the centre to report emergencies requiring assistance from City law-enforcement services. Operators can also direct incidents to the relevant emergency authorities.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis also criticised the disruption and urged residents to save the alternative number on their phones.

SAPS technicians continued working to restore the affected lines on Wednesday.