[imagesource: Google Street View / The South African]

The N7 between Melkbosstrand and the Milnerton off-ramps has become rife with criminals taking advantage of load shedding.

As soon as the lights go off in the city, they begin stoning motorists as they pass on this dark and dangerous stretch of road.

It is treacherous to drive here as cars are not only being stoned as they drive past, but are forced to drive over objects placed in the road, which damages the vehicle and makes them stop to check.

A concerned resident Aiden Philander said this is precisely the moment when they attack and rob you, per News24.

One resident in the area has advised drivers to seek alternative routes as the N7 is not safe anymore, saying that he had seen a few incidents play out during load shedding.

The times he referenced were especially from around two in the early hours of the morning.

“I saw a few guys coming from Dunoon’s side, just opposite Richwood, and stoning a vehicle. The guy or woman managed to get away, but the vehicle was really damaged. I have reported it, but it was so dark and I just picked up speed to avoid the same happening to me,” he says.

Image: Kailin Daniels

“If you have no other option but to drive on the N7, be very cautious. These criminals hide behind nearby bushes and really plan these attacks. They are taking advantage of loadshedding to carry out their criminal activities. Police have been made aware of this,” he says.

Image: Kailin Daniels

The Milnerton Police have confirmed that these incidents are happening more regularly, with the Bothasig police recently issuing a warning to the community, with particular caution placed on the vicinity of Richwood and the N7:

“According to analysis the area standing out is the N7 between Dunoon and Richwood. The modus operandi of robbers is that they target vehicles that stop on the N7. Motorists stop to pick up staff who live in Dunoon, wait for other vehicles or people, and sometimes break down or run out of fuel, all of which makes them very vulnerable to being robbed,” [WO Jacques Mostert, a spokesperson for Bothasig police,] says.

He added that when motorists or even pedestrians stop, the criminals will run across the N7, rob them and then run back into Dunoon, “making it very difficult to locate them”.

The Bothasig police and private security companies aim to increase their patrolling and police presence so as to stop these criminal occurrences in their tracks.

Just avoid the N7 as much as possible for the time being, though.

[source:news24]