File photo File photo
Cape Town - Hikers using trails along the southern peninsula have been warned to be extra cautious following three muggings in the area over two days.
On Friday morning a cyclist was ambushed and robbed of her mountain bike at the bottom of a trail in Silvermine. That afternoon, a hiker was mugged on a trail above St James, while two US tourists were targeted on the same path on Thursday.
In each incident, two men were reported to be the perpetrators.
On Saturday SANParks regional spokeswoman Merle Collins confirmed the Silvermine mugging, but said details about it were sketchy.
“Obviously security in the area will be stepped up,” she said.
Collins said the two muggings along the St James path had not occurred on Table Mountain National Park land and she therefore referred queries to police.
Police spokesman Captain Frederick van Wyk was not able to respond to Weekend Argus’s questions about the muggings.
The Table Mountain Bikers group said one of two men who targeted the cyclist along the Silvermine trail had been wearing a red beanie and a blue jacket. A grainy image of the suspected muggers was uploaded on socials media and showed two men walking in the distance, one wearing a beanie and jacket matching the description. The second wore a black jacket and what appeared to be a grey cap.
“Please be very careful in this area. There has been a previous attempted bike jacking that we are aware of,” a post on the Table Mountain Bikers Facebook page said. The Simon’s Town community police forum also posted an alert.
A post said the cyclist was mugged along Ouwapad, an off-road trail that leads from Ou Kaapse Weg to Silvermine Road and Tokai Forest. The community police forum post also referred to the other two incidents that happened on St James path.
It said two US tourists were mugged on Thursday afternoon and while their handbags were later found, items including their cellphones and wallets had been stolen. The two were reported to be shaken, but were not harmed.
A Facebook user posted that he had also been mugged on the path on Friday afternoon.
“Think it’s the same 2 guys who mugged those tourists... from what the police were saying,” he wrote. Weekend Argus was not able to contact the hiker.
On Saturday, Eileen Heywood, project manager at the Simon’s Town community police forum, urged hikers to be vigilant.
“If you’re going to go hiking don’t go on your own,” she said. Heywood also advised hikers not to carry any valuables.
caryn.dolley@inl.co.za
Weekend Argus