The City of Cape Town has defended an “informal” engagement between Metro Police cadets and US Marines at Muizenberg Beach, describing it as a positive, no-cost fitness exchange aimed at boosting morale and benchmarking physical standards.

Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said the session formed part of the City’s growing emphasis on physical readiness within its Public Safety Training College.

“The engagement between the City’s Public Safety Training College and Marines based at the US Consulate in Cape Town was a fitness exercise and an opportunity for officers to experience Marine-style fitness drills,” said Smith.

“It was an informal arrangement where staff could measure their fitness standards against that of another entity. It was not a formal training engagement and there was no cost involved to the City.”

It comes after some political parties raised concerns about the legality, cost and oversight of the exercise.

The GOOD party argues that municipal policing must operate within a national framework and questioned whether proper approvals were obtained, warning against any blurring of lines between military and civilian policing.

But the City maintains the exercise was a straightforward fitness initiative and part of broader efforts to learn from international best practice while improving local law enforcement standards.

Smith added that the City regularly collaborates with international partners to strengthen its capabilities, including past engagements with experts from countries such as France, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States on issues like cybercrime, kidnapping and extortion.

He stressed that the Muizenberg session did not involve tactical or policing training and required no special authorisation.