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10-09-2009, 04:12 AM #4791
‘12 j. in tronk is net nie genoeg’
Die man van Mooinooi wat sy vier kinders oor ’n tydperk van etlike jare mishandel het, sal “hopelik nooit weer ’n gesin begin nie”.
So het regter Chris Botha gister in die hooggeregshof in Pretoria gesê toe die staat geappelleer het teen die effektief 12 jaar tronkstraf waartoe dié man in 2004 gevonnis is.
Die pa is destyds in die streekhof in Brits skuldig bevind en gevonnis weens fisieke en sek-suele aanranding op sy drie seuns (toe 12, 10 en 9), en ’n dogter (toe 3).
Dit het op die gesin se hoewe naby Mooinooi gebeur. Van die getuienis het die land geskok.
Botha het gesê die man se mentaliteit is van ’n primitiwiteit wat teruggaan na die begin van die beskawing. Hy gaan gelukkig nie weer iets met die kinders te doen hê nie.
Adv. Phyllis Vorster, namens die staat, het gesê die kinders is deur ander mense aangeneem.
Volgens haar is 12 jaar tronkstraf “net nie genoeg nie”.
Die man was “absoluut sadisties”.
Hy het sy kinders ernstige leed aangedoen. ’n Mens stamp nie ’n kind van ’n paal af dat ’n spyker sy rug kerf sodat die merk vir altyd daar sal wees nie.
“Die kinders het omgewingsgestrem grootgeword.”
Een van die seuns is nou 16 en steeds in gr.2. “Daar is nie enige hoop vir hulle nie,” het sy gesê.
Die man kom volgens Vorster in 2011 in aanmerking vir parool.
Regter Roger Claassen het daarop gesê: “Ons glo ’n persoon dien steeds vonnis uit op parool. Ons verkondig dit altyd. Is ons besig om te huigel as ons dit sê?”
As ’n mens tydens parool oor die tou trap, gaan hy terug tronk toe, het hy bygevoeg.
Adv. Herman Alberts, namens die pa, het die appèl teengestaan.
Hy het gesê die landdros het ’n korrekte en weldeurdagte uitspraak gelewer.
Hy verstaan die aanklaer en die gemeenskap wil die man “graag baie swaar straf, maar watter swaarder vonnis gaan jy hom nou gee?”.
Die landdros het volgens Alberts ’n “eerlike poging” aangewend om die belange van die gemeenskap in ag te neem. Hy het ’n billike vonnis probeer oplê.
Dit is moeilik om te bepaal presies hoeveel voorvalle daar was, het Alberts gesê. “Ons almal aanvaar dit het minstens van tyd tot tyd gebeur.”
Wanneer die hof ’n vonnis oplê, moet hy nie die moontlikheid van vrylating op parool in ag neem nie. “Ons kan nie sê hy gaan in 2011 op parool vrygelaat word nie. Dis in die toekoms. Ons weet nie. Ons kan ons nie daarmee bemoei nie,” het Alberts gesê.
Die pa is destyds op verskeie aanklagte tot altesame 35 jaar en nege maande tronkstraf gevonnis. Die hof het toe gelas dat van die vonnisse gelyklopend uitgedien word, wat die 12 jaar effektiewe tronkstraf meegebring het.
Vorster vra dat die effektiewe vonnis tot minstens 20 jaar verleng word. Claassen en Botha lewer Maandagoggend uitspraak.
10-09-2009, 04:14 AM #4792
Straatroof dié gevaar vir 2010
Johannesburg - Die grootste misdaadbedreiging wat besoekers met die Wêreldbeker-sokkertoernooi in 2010 in Suid-Afrika in die gesig staar, is om met ’n vuurwapen van hul selfone en geld beroof te word.
Luidens die Instituut vir Sekerheidstudies (ISS) se September-verslag maak straatrooftogte 66% van alle ernstige rooftogte uit. “Dit moet gesien word as potensieel die grootste misdaadbedreiging wat besoekers aan dié sokkertoernooi mag teëkom.”
Die ISS het gister ’n media-konferensie gehou nadat hy die polisie se jongste misdaadstatistieke, vir die tydperk van 1 April 2008 tot 31 Maart 2009, ontleed het. Volgens dié statistieke het 41% van al die straatrooftogte in townships plaasgevind, 31% in middestede, 20% in woonbuurte, 4% in landelike gebiede en 2% in tradisionele nedersettings.
Gevalle van straatrooftogte het egter met 7,4% afgeneem – van 77 984 in 2007-’08 tot 72 194 in 2008-’09.
Nkhosilo Seimela van die polisie se navorsing-en-statistiek-eenheid het gister gesê 57% van dié rooftogte is met ’n vuurwapen gepleeg, 38% met ’n mes en 5% met ’n stomp voorwerp.
Hy het gesê wat die meeste gebuit word, is selfone (in 64% van alle straatrooftogte). Geld word in 50% van die gevalle gebuit, gevolg deur persoonlike items (11%), klere (9%) en juwele (7%).
Hy het gesê van die 20 polisiekantore waar die meeste straatrooftogte aangemeld is, is agt in Gauteng, sewe in KwaZulu-Natal, drie in die Wes-Kaap en een in Noordwes.
Luidens die ISS se verslag was daar in die twee weke van die Konfederasiebeker-sokkertoernooi vanjaar ’n dramatiese afname in misdade soos moord, poging tot moord, huisroof, motorkaping en seksuele misdrywe in gebiede rondom die sokkerstadions.
Daar is ook tussen 6 000 en 8 000 lede van die polisie, spesiale taakmag en weermag ontplooi in dorpe waar die toernooie plaasgevind het.
’n Bykomende 750 polisielede is ontplooi in die gebiede waar die toernooie plaasgevind het.
Volgens die nasionale gesamentlike intelligensie-struktuur kan net 39 misdrywe wat toe gepleeg is verbind word met stadions, die onmiddellike omgewing van die stadions en die hotelle waar die spelers tuisgegaan het.
Volgens die ISS mag sokkergeesdriftiges ook die teiken word van sindikate wat hul toespits op kubermisdaad, dwelms en misdade in verband met die seksbedryf.
10-09-2009, 05:26 AM #4793
Rowerbendes se vuilspel raak elke mens se lewe
Vrydag, 9 Oktober, 2009
Die boeregemeenskap en sakelui in Limpopo is ewe ontsteld oor skrikwekkende stygings in gewapende rooftogte by sakeondernemings en gewapende roofbendes wat op mense in die veiligheid van hul huise toeslaan.
Die skokinligting het aan die lig gekom toe mnr. Nathi Mthethwa, minister van polisie, onlangs die jongste misdaadstatistieke in die parlement ter tafel gelê het. Dít te midde van ’n huisrooftog vandeesweek helder oordag op Bela-Bela waarin ’n tiener verkrag en haar boetie en oupa toegesluit is. Die voorval was boonop in ’n luukse veiligheidsontwikkeling met streng sekuriteit by die hoofingang.
Huisrooftogte landwyd het tot einde Maart met meer as 27% gestyg terwyl rooftogte by klein- en middelslagondernemings asook ondernemings in die informele sektor in die 2008-’09-boekjaar met 41,1% gestyg het.
“Onaanvaarbaar,” het TLU SA se president, mnr. Ben Marais, gesê. “Die misdaadstatistiek wat bekend gestel is, is onaanvaarbaar vir die land as geheel, terwyl die landbougemeenskap in besonder rede tot ernstige kommer het.”
Sy besorgdheid word gedeel deur onder andere mnr. Francois du Toit, uittredende voorsitter van die Waterberg/Warmbad Distriklandbou-unie, sy opvolger, mnr. Jaco Bogaards, mnr. Kobus van der Merwe, gewese voorsitter van die Bela-Bela Sakeforum, nóg instansies in Die Pos se lesersgebied, sowel as die burgerregteorganisasie, AfriForum, se mnr. Nantes Kelder. Die forum het in ’n verklaring gesê die styging in ernstige geweldsmisdade is verwag. “Die misdaadstatistieke toon die regering doen nie genoeg in die stryd teen ernstige geweldsmisdade nie.
“Suid-Afrikaners is die onveiligste by die plekke waar hulle die meeste van hulle tyd bestee, naamlik by die werk of tuis. Jou woning is veronderstel om ’n veilige omgewing te wees,” aldus Kelder.
Die oorgrote meerderheid rooftogte met verswarende omstandighede het by sakepersele in Gauteng plaasgevind, gevolg deur KwaZulu-Natal, Noordwes en die Wes-Kaap — twee van Limpopo se buurprovinsies.
Van der Merwe het aan Die Pos gesê hy is baie ontsteld oor die toenames en “en is uiteraard baie bekommerd. ’n Mens raak onrustig en dit plaas bykomende druk op sakeondernemings in ’n moeilike ekonomiese tyd.
“Sakelui word weens die situasie gedwing om bykomende veiligheidsmaatreëls in te stel teen groot koste.” Hy het reeds optrede in noodsituasies met sy werknemers bespreek.” Volgens Du Toit behoort die toename in huisrooftogte elke landburger te bekommer, want dit raak almal. Hy het ’n beroep op mense gedoen om “woonplekke na te gaan om dit vir voornemende booswigte so moeilik moontlik te maak”.
Bogaards het gesê elke belangegroep sal moet hande vat. Mense sal voorts in die lig van die kommerwekkende situasie moet leer om hul eie huis in orde te kry en paraat te lewe. Die meeste huisrooftogte het in Gauteng op Limpopo se drumpel plaasgevind.
Mthethwa het luidens Beeld gesê “ons erken die polisie moet meer doen om dié soort misdaad te pak. Ons kan eenvoudig nie ’n situasie aanvaar waar mense nie veilig in hul huise voel nie”.
Benewens georganiseerde landbou se kommer oor onder meer huisrooftogte, inbrake en moorde, is veediefstalle eweneens ’n groot bron van kommer. Marais het gesê hy wil by die polisiehoës “pleit” om ’n spesiale ondersoekeenheid moontlik onder die Valke se beheer, in te stel net vir plaasaanvalle. Terselfdertyd het TLU SA ’n ernstige beroep gedoen om die veediefstal-ondersoekeenhede beter toe te rus om die styging in veediefstalle teen te gaan. “Veediefstal raak nie net die boer nie, maar raak ook die verbruiker. As die styging in veediefstalsake nog ’n jaar of wat voortduur, sal daar ’n tekort aan vleis ontstaan, wat ’n bydraende bedreiging uitmaak vir voedselsekerheid.”
Volgens Du Toit is vee- en wilddiefstalle ’n baie groter kopseer as wat die statistieke weerspieël. “Dit het so gesofistikeerd geword dat dit nie meer net honger mense is wat steel nie, maar sindikate of bendes is daaragter.
“Dié diefstalle is beslis deel van die veiligheidsrisiko vir boere en gemeenskappe wat aanvalle en moorde betref omdat die misdadigers beter wapens en voertuie het. Hulle is voorts op jou plaas en in die omgewing om sy vuilwerk te doen, wat hom nader aan die mense bring,” het Du Toit gesê.
10-09-2009, 05:28 AM #4794
Pretoria - A physiotherapist from Centurion was attacked by a gang reportedly led by a Tshwane metro police officer on Thursday.
The robbers trampled on her and choked her until she started vomiting blood and left her for dead, but she managed to crawl about 50m to her neighbour's house for help.
The metro police officer was apprehended in Pretoria West at around 11:30, nearly two hours after the attack on 25-year-old Elaine Cahill at her parents' home on a smallholding in Raslouw.
On Thursday afternoon, with bruises clearly visible on her body, Cahill tearfully told how two men showed up at the house, pretending they wanted to look at an outbuilding which they wanted to rent.
Two more men showed up a while later.
Two of the men were wearing security guard uniforms.
Cahill took the men to the outbuilding leased out by her parents, Billy and Erna Cahill.
"Just as they were about to pay the deposit, they forced me to the ground and pressed a firearm against my head.
"They said they'd shoot me if I didn't keep quiet. My hands were handcuffed and they tied my feet together with a belt. Next I was sprayed in the face with pepper spray and then they trampled on me.
"When they were done with that, they wrapped a jacket around my head and choked me with shoelaces," Cahill related.
"I squeezed two fingers in between my throat and the shoelaces so I could breathe.
"They let go when I started vomiting blood. They left me like that to choke to death."
According to Cahill, she didn't move for a while, but then started crawling to her neighbour, Das Pillay's house, about 50m away.
When she reached the wire fence between the two plots, she was able to free herself and climb over the fence.
In the meantime, the robbers had pressed a firearm against the domestic worker's head and plundered the house.
They took medals, jewellery, a champagne bottle and a GPS among other things and shoved them in a sports bag.
Metro cop implicated by other suspects
Pillay phoned the police and a security service. When the robbers heard them approaching, they dropped the sports bag, shot the glass out of a sliding door and fled. They climbed over the wall.
Apparently the security service guards found the metro police officer at the crime scene. He showed them his identification and they let him go.
The metro police officer was implicated by one of two other suspects who were arrested near the crime scene. The police were then warned by radio to be on the lookout for him.
He was apprehended by members of the police's flying squad at a scrap yard in Pretoria West.
Console Tleane, spokesperson for Tshwane's department of community safety and liaison, said the metro police officer is believed to have used his service pistol during the incident. He allegedly also supplied his partners with old Coin security company uniforms.
10-09-2009, 05:31 AM #4795
Captain shot, 12 arrested
Twelve suspects have been arrested in Pretoria in connection with the shooting of a police captain in Lynnwood Manor in Pretoria on Saturday night.
It is understood the captain and two other officers were responding to a robbery at a house which is under construction.
Gunmen opened fire on the trio, wounding one of the officers.
The police's Lynette Erasmus says he was rushed to a nearby hospital after he was shot in the stomach twice.
The local community policing forum, police officers and the dog unit then reacted swiftly to the shooting.
"When we reacted we found that there was a huge police presence and the police helicopter was in operation. They sent in search teams and they found 12 people, two of who confessed to being involved in the shooting," said the forum’s Wendel Krook.
10-09-2009, 05:32 AM #4796
Pretoria - People in Gauteng have twice as much chance of being the victim of a house robbery than those in other parts of the country.
This is according to Gareth Newham, a community safety adviser in the Gauteng legislature.
Newham was speaking at a seminar concerning the latest crime statistics at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria on Thursday.
However, a senior researcher at the ISS, Dr Johan Burger, discouraged people from leaving South Africa.
"If people want to emigrate, they should rather go to other provinces where home robberies are less common. Don't leave the country."
According to him, the safest province is the Northern Cape, followed by the Free State and Limpopo.
Nkoshilo Seimela of the police's research and statistics unit said that according to the top 20 police stations where the most home robberies are reported, 13 are in Gauteng, five in KwaZulu-Natal, one in North West and one in the Eastern Cape.
Six of the top 10 police stations are in Gauteng (Sandton, Honeydew, Wierdabrug, Midrand, Douglasdale and Booysens) and four in KwaZulu-Natal.
Newham said the latest crime statistics show that, between April 1 2008 and March 31 2009, there were 140 home robberies per day.
"Firearms were also the most common choice of weapon used in the criminal activity, also in vehicle hijackings, cash-in-transit heists and business robberies.
"And criminals won't stop until they are caught, since that's their livelihood," said Newham.
Burger warned that, unless a method is found to curb home robberies, vehicle hijackings and business robberies, these crimes will continue to increase.
"It makes an impact on people's lives, on deciding whether to should stay in the country or move, and also whether they should buy property here. It also has a psychological impact on people's lives."
He said the number of house robberies have increased in all nine provinces. The only decrease was in hijackings in the Northern Cape and North West.
SA Crime Boom Ahead Of Football World Cup
Crime is on the increase in South Africa - adding to fears over football fans' safety during the 2010 World Cup.
The latest figures showed a rise in most violent offences, with armed robberies soaring by 27% and sexual assaults up 10%.
The murder rate - one of the highest in the world outside a war zone - has dropped 2% to 18,143.
But that still amounted to a staggering 49.1 murders every day.
The figures showing reported crime between March 2008 and April 2009 will be an embarrassment to the South African government.
Zuma has promised 'zero tolerance'
The administration has been battling to allay concerns about the security of fans during next year's tournament.
At least 450,000 supporters are expected to travel to the country to follow their teams.
President Jacob Zuma has promised a "zero tolerance" approach to crime and the country's new police commissioner has pushed for officers to be permitted to "shoot to kill".
The high levels of crime in South Africa - seen by some as a legacy of apartheid - affect every aspect of daily life.
The wealthy shelter behind high walls and electric fences in homes linked up to "armed response" security firms.
The poor, living in sprawling shacks, fear venturing out at night.
Stadium-building for the tournament
Car hijackings - another crime that has increased - make a brief stop at the traffic lights, or even pulling into a driveway, a potentially hazardous act.
Even the theft of a mobile phone can be accompanied by terrifying violence, with guns widely used by criminal gangs.
The rise in sexual offences was attributed by officials to the inclusion, for the first time, of attacks on males.
The figures showed there were more than 71,000 assaults - a rate of about 200 every day.
But South Africa's police minister Nathi Mthethwa insisted the government was "unshakeable" in its resolve to fight crime.
10-09-2009, 05:34 AM #4797
Crime in SA IS a real threat to tourism
Klerksdorp – Several really negative comments on my article regarding crime in South Africa and especially the mentioning of the Kruger Park being a “crime hotspot” has forced me to reply to these comments and questions.
Firstly, DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER! Naming some of South Africa’s most popular tourism destinations as crime hotspots is NOT unpatriotic or an attempt to undermine the government or any tourism or travel-related business’ efforts to ensure that South Africa stays one of the world’s top tourism destinations. It is, in fact, a harsh reality which cannot be wished away, no matter how hard we try.
Because I’m the editor of a travel website, it doesn’t mean that I should ignore real issues affecting the industry I’m working to promote. Quite the contrary. It doesn’t help ignoring the facts or adopting president Mbeki’s recent stance of “crime in South Africa is just a perception”.
It isn’t. It’s real, it’s affecting everyone in the country and it’s affecting the travel and tourism industry big time. A very recent news report stated that more than 600 restaurants have already fallen victim to armed robberies in a single year. Is that not cause for concern?
I have been criticised for especially mentioning that the Kruger Park is a crime hotspot and my apparent lack of statistics or evidence to qualify this statement. A quick search on the internet only managed to reaffirm my statement – during the past two years there have been more than 20 serious crime incidents in and just outside the Kruger Park which made headlines throughout the world.
The fact that the country is rife with crime also forced several foreign countries to issue travel warnings to their citizens planning trips to South Africa. The one which I think makes the most impact is from New Zealand: “Crime is a serious issue throughout South Africa. Travellers should be vigilant at all times, especially at bus stations, airports (especially the OR Tambo Airport), as organised gangs are known to operate there. In Johannesburg visitors should be especially vigilant in the central business district as muggings and carjackings are prevalent… Caution should be exercised in Pretoria. You should be careful at all times in the city of Durban and by the beachfront. Carjackings are common in this city. Muggings can occur anywhere at any time. If visiting Kruger Park be aware of the danger of carjackings inside the park and those leading into the park. Cape Town visitors who go to Table Mountain should only go in groups to minimise the risk of attack. Those wishing to visit the townships should only do so as part of an organised tour by a reputable company.”
The UK and several other European countries have issued similar warnings.
Am I therefore being unpatriotic and unproudly South African if I worry about the crime trends? Am I being spiteful if I mention it and undertake to publish a full investigation within the next week or two? My main aim with this debate is to try and convince the key role players in travel and tourism, i.e. the government, local government, and the ministries of tourism, that the time to act is now and that whatever efforts they have put into place so far, are not enough. The 2010 Soccer World Cup is looming and even if the structures are completed on time, the visitors will be conspicuous by their absence if the country can’t honestly be punted as a safe destination.
In the Kruger Park, for instance, since this is apparently the most popular destination for foreign tourists and the subject which evoked our readers’ ire this week, more than a hundred illegal immigrants and gun runners are caught inside the park each day. And that’s only a conservative estimate. Who knows how many more slip past the police?
Two police stations have been set up inside the park where 144 police officers have the difficult job of trying to curb all kinds of crime. Yet, despite these valiant efforts, several armed robberies have taken place inside and at different gates of the park. Motorists have been hijacked inside the park and just outside, on their way to their camps. Heavily armed poachers pose life-threatening dangers to tourists and game rangers alike. Just recently, a large car smuggling syndicate was busted by the police. The park is one of the main routes for illegal immigrants who, upon arriving in South Africa, and armed with smuggled weapons, pose a real danger to park visitors and locals eking out a meagre living on the outskirts of the park. And just recently a holidaymaker from the Western Cape was murdered a few kilometres from the park’s fence in Marloth Park.
I am not the only one worried about the effect crime is having on tourism in the country. Important role players in the industry have also voiced their concern. One managing director of a large hotel group – who, by the way, dedicates his life to promoting his country overseas – has admitted to starting to feel disheartened by the events in South Africa, mostly because he has been a victim of crime several times already and knows how high the crime figure is in the industry.
“I attend international trade fairs and when asked by key tour operators if it is safe to visit the country, I have to think fast on my feet and avoid the emotions I have experienced and think of the business opportunities before answering their questions. Hopefully the tourists visiting as a result of one’s efforts are not those targeted at OR Tambo or other tourist attractions.
“I am a loyal South African … I feel passionate about the opportunities in this country and don’t see myself as a ‘victim’, but with all the recent incidents, I am no longer as confident,” he says.
South Africa IS alive with possibilities and I believe that fervently. But one of the world’s greatest holiday destinations is being marred by waves of violence – even though the recent SAPS stats indicate a slight downward trend in some crimes. The truth is out there, however. And the truth is that South Africa’s spiralling crime figures may have already deterred 22 million tourists from visiting the country over the past five years. And that is a frightening thought.
Should we as loyal South Africans not rather work together to kick-start an initiative from government and big business alike to fight the crime? Or should we rather try and ignore the truth and act as if this is Shangri-la we’re living in?
I opt for changing the current scenario and as I’m not a revolutionary, my only weapon in the fight against crime is my keyboard – or pen – which I’m holding on to for dear life. And I made a promise to myself to try and make a difference instead of sitting on the side-line waiting for others to make the first move or criticising those who make an effort.
So, are you with me in this or not? It’s up to you …
Just remember, you have the chance and the choice to make a difference. We’re going to need all the help we can get to make 2010 a success. Our country’s pride is at stake.
Feel free to comment if you like. However, before you criticise, try and offer a workable solution instead.
10-09-2009, 05:36 AM #4798
"This country is too armed with guns, too many guns floating around and too many murders as a result of guns. We must take firm action on the guns."
When I heard these words come out of our president's mouth, I felt more than just a hint of worry.
And not because I am a firearm fanatic, if that is what you're thinking. Truth be told, I don't even own a gun.
No, these two sentences from Jacob Zuma unsettled me simply because they are a clear illustration of the man's thinking on firearms. The word 'guns' is mentioned four times, yet no reference to the people on the other side of these guns is made. Msholozi places the hardware, and not the individual, at the heart of the problem.
Surely the blame should be dropped squarely at the feet of those pulling the trigger?
If arson became a highly-perpetrated crime in our land, would banning matches be the solution?
Even if we were to disregard this argument, the fact remains that the only people a tightening of gun control would really knock, are the very people who feel they need protection — the country's law-abiding citizens.
The focus of this dilemma should instead be the plethora of illegal guns floating around South Africa. Or, more accurately, the so-called 'owners' of these guns. Until these criminals are stripped of their power, the only difference the constant harassment of legal firearm owners will make to crime statistics, is an undesirable one.
And the administration-heavy Firearms Control Act, forcing citizens to jump through hoop after ludicrous hoop, is nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt to get citizens to give up their firearms. This too is hurting the fight against crime.
Many countries have banned firearms. And almost every case has clearly shown that violent crimes do not taper off in the months and years to follow. Zuma sometimes talks of divided countries learning from South Africa's journey from Apartheid to the present. Perhaps this is one instance in which our leader could learn from the mistakes of the rest of the world.
Only if and when the police become competent enough to protect its citizens will legal gun owners in South Africa even think about giving up their right to bear arms.
And if Zuma intends on pursuing this battle against 'guns', best he change his theme song.
10-12-2009, 03:54 AM #4799
10-12-2009, 03:55 AM #4800
Hijacking syndicate expands
POLICE believe a group of criminals who previously preyed on the public in the Sardinia Bay beach area may have expanded their territory and are now operating along the secluded Marine Drive stretch of coast.
There have been several warnings over the past two years that a hijacking syndicate – believed to involve Nigerians – was targeting the secluded seaside strip.
“It looks like another group is moving across from Sardinia Bay. There are indications the syndicate (operating in the Summerstrand area) is also getting bigger and more organised,” a police source who asked not to be named told Weekend Post.
Police have warned the public to be vigilant when visiting isolated spots or stopping to picnic in the area.
The “high-risk area” stretches from the first beacon at Summerstrand to past the Noordhoek ski-boat club.
The source said officers often approached people who had stopped in the area to warn them of potential danger.
“We get a lot of flak from them. They say it’s public property and they are entitled to go where they like,” said the source. “The area is supposed to be a leisure and pleasure spot – you can’t stop people from going there.” Police, however, have stepped up patrols in the area.
There have been three reported incidents this year, the most recent involving the young Bay couple who were hijacked and assaulted last weekend.
Here is a summary of past reported attacks and separate accounts of the assaults:
September 9: Businessman and triathlete Eldon Leonard was attacked while taking photographs of a whale carcass near Willows. Four men hijacked him and later also targeted another couple. Both cars were stolen but later recovered. Leonard said the robbers demanded they give their ATM pin numbers. Later the three escaped – Leonard did so by swimming 5km to safety.
October 2008: Two men were hijacked, bound together with wire and left stranded in the nature reserve for more than five hours. They were tied up and their bank cards and pin codes taken. The hijackers made off with their car.
June 18, 2008: Humewood police station Senior Superintendent Japie Moolman gave a tour of the area, where he said at least six vehicles have been hijacked, a student raped and the body of a woman dumped since April 2008.
June 10, 2008: Five fishermen were held at gunpoint, hijacked and robbed. Rhoan Abbott said both attackers had drawn guns, demanded their cellphones and the pin code for his bank card.
February 7, 2008: Two students were attacked by a gang of six men while doing research at Cape Recife. The thugs tied up the students and demanded their bank cards and pin numbers.
January 20, 2008: Port Elizabeth environmentalist Dr Paul Martin and a group of eight UK tourists were attacked and robbed at knife-point while walking at Cape Recife.