Hunt for mountain muggers
SANParks concerned after 8 tourists attacked on Lion’s Head – second incident in a week
POLICE and park rangers are on the hunt for a pair of muggers after a group of eight to 10 hikers, including tourists, were robbed on Lion’s Head. South African National Parks (SANParks) spokeswoman Merle Collins confirmed a group of visitors had been attacked by two men who fled with their possessions.
Sunday’s mugging is the second incident in a week, and Collins said it was a “red flag” for the park.
In the previous incident, which took place last Sunday at the beginning of the path up Lion’s Head at Kloof Nek road, three students were robbed of a digital camera and cash.
“We don’t know if it’s the same (robbers),” cautioned Collins, adding that park rangers had been working closely with police to apprehend the men behind the attack.
Asmus Zoch, a German tourist, was one of the victims of the most recent robbery. Posting on Facebook he wrote that he, a friend, and six other tourists were mugged “on the popular route to Lion’s Head”.
He was posting on the “Jonkershoek nightruns & Basic kuiers” page. He did not share many details, only that it was still bright outside and the thieves had fled with a haul of iPhones, passports and money.
“Warning, never take valuable things on hikes around Cape Town,” he said.
Zoch did not respond to our messages on the social media platform, but confirmed in another post that the case had been reported to the police.
Collins, who has been in communications with the SAPS, said information surrounding the incident was scant. “I don’t have any information on whether these guys were armed or not.”
But Table Mountain Watch founder André van Schalkwyk said the muggers had definitely been armed with knives. He added that according to reports it seemed the muggers had worked their way down the mountain, robbing groups of hikers that they found descending or ascending the path.
Cape Town ward councillor Dave Bryant said the mugging was a serious concern. However, he said the city was doing everything it could to secure the roads and parking lots which serve the city’s popular hiking trails. He said the refurbishment of the camera on top of Signal Hill had already cut down crime, and that this was the trend across most of the areas which fell under his municipality.
“You will find that compared to the number of people who head up Lion’s Head, the number of incidents are relatively low compared with other parts of the city.”
He said it was up to SANParks and the police to ensure these criminals were caught and secure measures taken to deter future thieves.
Last weekend, two climbers were also mugged at Schoorsteenkop in Hout Bay, said Van Schalkwyk.
Police had not yet responded to the Cape Argus queries at the time of going to print.