South Africa is faced with a variety of development challenges, one of which relates to crime. In response to the persistent and unacceptable high rates of crime, among other challenges, the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 was published in August 2012. Regarding safety and security within South Africa's human settlements, the NDP 2030 provides strategies for crime reduction and prevention. However, the NDP 2030 accords negligible attention to the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) as a crime reduction and prevention strategy, especially for congested built urban environments. Theoretically, there is a significant direct relationship between congested, built urban environments and crime rate. Consequently, the CPTED is increasingly accepted and used as one of the key tools for crime reduction and prevention in most developed and developing countries. This article argues that the CPTED has the ability to cre