[imagesource:Facebook/Andy Davies]
Following a spate of robberies on Table Mountain over the course of the year, the Cape Town community group, Friends of Table Mountain (FOTM), has launched a petition calling for immediate action to be taken to stop the escalating crime.
The trend of hikers, runners, walkers being robbed blind while in the Table Mountain National Park – which includes Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, and Devil’s Peak, Kasteelspoort – continues unabated, with the latest incidents reported just this week.
Despite the good news that two alleged robbers were quickly caught after robbing a group of mountain bikers on Monday, and the security authorities generally working harder to catch these criminals, there are still enough reports coming off the mountain to suggest it is not yet safe.
Two days ago, Andrew Lewis posted on the FOTM Facebook group that two hikers were robbed at knifepoint in the early hours of the morning on top of Kasteelspoort. In addition, he added, “There have been several attacks on runners in the Devils Peak area over the last week.” He attached a ‘heat map’ showing the 83 known incidents on Table Mountain from this year:
Image: Facebook/Andrew Lewis/ FOTM
Everyone is especially concerned as the attacks have been orchestrated ahead of the festive season, which sees scores of local and international visitors flock to the Cape’s popular tourist spots, and could have a lasting negative effect on the City’s tourism.
FOTM’s Clarisse Coetzee Bergsma said via EWN the alarming surge in crime required urgent action from the national government, and the South African National Parks (SANParks):
“In the last week alone we have had four muggings on Devil’s Peak, Kasteelspoort, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill. It’s really concerning, especially given the fact that more and more tourists are flocking to Cape Town and we really need to do something to stop this.”
She urged hikers, nature lovers, and other mountain users to throw their weight behind the petition, which has had more than 4,000 people sign on so far.
On a mission to demand safety and security around our mountains, a group of about 50 people from FOTM held a protest hike along the Lion’s Head trail at dawn last Friday. Andy Davies, the chairperson of the public forum Friends of Table Mountain (FOTM), spoke to Daily Maverick about the hike:
“Basically our demand is that SANParks (South African National Parks) provide more resources and work more closely with the City of Cape Town Metro Police and the Western Cape government to increase safety on the mountain.
“We’ve seen an upsurge in crime and we want to highlight this problem. The management authority of the to hear our outcry. We know that SANParks have enough money to provide sufficient resources in the park. We demand an increase in their operating budget to protect the Table Mountain National Park.”
Until the situation gets better, try not to go up the mountains alone and carry a ‘burner phone’ that you don’t mind losing and that can be used in emergencies. If you feel threatened or uncomfortable on the mountain you can call the city’s emergency line on 021-4807700.
[sources:ewn&dailymaverick]