Sixty security staff have been appointed to guard tourists in Table Mountain National Park, two weeks after a Russian tourist's murder.
Tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane met the 60 white-gloved guards on Thursday at Kloof Nek, in the shadow of Table Mountain's northern face.
Their numbers will be boosted to 86 in October, and cameras and drones will join the anti-crime effort from December.
James Vos, Cape Town's mayoral committee member for economic opportunities, said he was delighted by the deployment of the guards.
"Table Mountain is a leading tourist attraction on the African continent with local and global significance," he said. "We need to make sure that we protect and promote our tourism sector. It is the backbone of our economy and job creation, with almost 300,000 Capetonians employed in this sector."
Vos said incidents such as the murder of Ivan Ivanov on a Chapman's Peak hiking trail were isolated, and usually committed by opportunists.
"I remain excited about the future of tourism in our city," he said. "I welcome the steps taken by the national department of tourism and will closely monitor the progress to ensure visitor safety."
