Time and time again, warnings have been issued over the potential hijacking of those leaving OR Tambo.

Dubbed “follow home” heists, they were getting out of control at one point, until police announced in July that they had nabbed four of the culprits.

Well, it seems that either we have a copy cat group, or police didn’t “nab” the correct suspects.

Police have confirmed reports that 36 Dutch tourists were robbed at gunpoint in Fourways, Johannesburg, on Sunday. The group had just landed for a 22-day holiday and were en route to their hotel after leaving the airport, reports News24.

The bus was hailed over by a man dressed in a police uniform. They were then attacked by more men who were wearing civilian clothing, who robbed the group of their personal belongings.

On Tuesday, national police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo confirmed the incident:

“We are extremely concerned that one of the suspects was wearing a police uniform. Therefore, we have assigned this investigation to a group of seasoned detectives from our National Investigation Unit (NINU),” national police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo told News24 on Tuesday.

Most of the passengers were over the age of 70 and were left “shaken by the incident,” explained one witness:

“It was hell,” one of the passengers told Dutch publication Telegraaf. “People panicked and even got firearms aimed at them. In two cases, the trigger was pulled but the gun didn’t fire.”

“The suitcases were also taken out of the cargo area. They were busy for 20 minutes.”

The bus driver and tour guide were tied up during the incident, and there were no reports of any serious injuries.

Of course, there was some outrage by locals:

With this story making waves in the Netherlands, I am sure Dutch travellers will be thinking twice about choosing South Africa as a holiday destination.

Not great timing for our 2023 Rugby World bid either, you’d say.

[source:news24]