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I’m sure you had the best time and came home caked in dirt and good vibes, but for many attendees, OppiKoppi 2018 was a pretty kak experience.

That had nothing to do with the music, but rather to do with the fact that many revellers ended up falling victim to pickpocketing, petty theft and other criminal activity.

It looks like security wasn’t up to scratch, because the OppiKoppi Facebook page is full of people having a go.

News24 compiled a list of some of the standouts:

…people [are] reporting theft of a range of items, from cooler boxes and camping chairs to cellphones and other valuables.

“It’s been taken over by pickpockets and criminals. I’ve been to 15 OppiKoppi festivals. And sad to say it’s all over now,” Francois Mostert wrote.

“I personally know a dude who had his whole tent taken. An entire tent, guys,” wrote Letlhogonolo Tshidiso Moletsane.

Fernando de Pinho wrote: “Got my things stolen from my tent while I was sleeping in it… worst experience ever.”

Stefany Seymore, 22, from Potchefstroom, told News24 that she and her friends were robbed on several occasions.

“On Thursday afternoon I found my bag of clothes had been emptied but nothing was taken.

“But on Friday morning I found that cellphones had been taken from my car, my wallet had been emptied, my sunglasses were gone… they even took my pepper spray and snacks.”

Seymore and her friends actually ended up finding somebody who was wearing a watch stolen from their campsite, and here’s where security at the festival really needs to be held accountable:

The man tried to run away but was tackled to the ground and apprehended.

“We found five cellphones in his rucksack and handed him over to security officials.”

But on Sunday morning, the suspect had been released and was sitting at the very campsite where the stolen goods had been found earlier, according to Seymore.

Another attendee, Christo de Beer, said the crime this year was worse than anything he has seen before:

“I was almost pickpocketed on two occasions, once right in front of a policeman. Our camping chairs, cooler boxes, and food were stolen. Many of my friends also had stuff stolen from them or had been pickpocketed.”

De Beer said many people’s cars had been broken into.

At one point De Beer and others apprehended two suspects in possession of stolen goods and tried to hand them over to police, but the officials “drove off”.

Just check out the comments on this post from yesterday:

I didnt go this year because of all the crime last year… I understand the crime is even worse than before! And the people of oppikoppi just ignores it. Been going to koppi since 2010 and it (and the line up) gets worse every year. Nee wat, jul verloor die plot!…

To say crime is out of control is an understatement, got hit every single day of the festival, at the campsite and at the entertainment area, madness! 5th Oppi and it has come to the point where you sleep with 1 eye open, something drastic will have to be done for people to return, i am not aware of a single person who didnt have something get stolen!!…

I would like to know what Oppi plans to do about the amount f crime there cos apparently some people with no tags were found stealing.

Both of those photos above are taken by Henry E Photography.

Even organisers were forced to admit that this year had been the worst for crime, and they’re fighting an uphill battle:

According to Theresho Selesho, CEO of Matchbox Live, which organises OppiKoppi among other events, there has been an increase in criminal activity at its festivals over the last three years.

“We’ve had some crime issues in the past, but this year was the worst,” Selesho told News24 on Tuesday.

“There are a few syndicates that have been targeting live events and festivals. These past few years have been crazy for us in terms of containing the criminal activity, especially at a tented camping event [such as OppiKoppi].

“We’ve put safety measures in place, we’ve been working with the SAPS, we had undercover security guards and canines to try to combat these crimes.” But despite employing more resources and a bigger security budget, “the crime increased as well”, said Selesho…

“Security is a focal point for the future of the festival. We don’t want people to have experiences like this.

“This is disheartening for us.”

Sounds like it’s disheartening for everybody, especially those who forked out cash, headed to the bush, and ended up sleeping with one eye open for fear of being robbed.

OppiKoppi remains a pilgrimage of sorts, separating the ‘looking for a cool Facebook profile picture at Daisies’ from the ‘let’s get dirty in the dust’ music fan, but if they don’t sort this issue out pronto you have to worry about the event’s future.

[sources:news24&facebook]