South Africa is just too dangerous -- don't go! Johannesburg airport travellers plagued by armed gangs - and British tourists terrorised, raped by six-man armed gang at Hippo Lodge, Honeydew - among many others
Johannesburg airport gang jailed, awaiting trial
Sept 24 2008 - Dominic Sebanda, 34, one member of an armed 8-member gang which was targetting hapless foreign travellers from Johannesburg airport, was sent to prison for 15 years by the Wynburg regional court today. And the rest of this gang is also sitting in jail awaiting trial for robbing foreign travellers and killing one, Angolan traveller Edward Olisah (37). There are however still many gangs out there which -- working with insider-airport information -- follow foreign travellers to their destination, where they are robbed of all their valuables, often raped and even killed, many embassies are warning... Still awaiting trial are Thomsana Mkhize, Dumisani Moyo, Thabo Thomson Mamadi, Sibusiso Vincent Mkhize, Nthabiseng Shakes Sibula, Benson Khalushi amd Thuso Joseph Mafela.
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2398612,00.html
And yesterday police formed an emergency task-force inthe northern-suburbs of Honeydew - after two UK tourists were raped during an armed attack on a visiting family at the Hippo Lodge in Muldersdrift - next to the very popular tourist spot, the Cradle of Humankind, where local residents have even demonstrated with placards warning tourists to stay away after the murder of local Heia safari park lodge owner Frans Richter. They demanded a return of the death penalty and told the news media that tourists should stay away from the rural area - it was just too dangerous. Police from seven local police stations yesterday formed a task-force trying to track these ruthless attackers down -- local families are being plagued by rape attacks, hijackings and armed robberies inside their own homes, and tourist-industry businesses targetted in a spate of violence-driven crimes in recent months, carried out by a large number of well-organised gangs.
The UK family has already left the country, deeply traumatised after their ordeal. They were attacked by six heavily-armed black men who had somehow managed to get past the electrified fence and electronic security system of the lodge and attacked the UK family in their holiday chalet at the Hippo Lodge.
Its deeply distressed owner Geof Maud, pictured on the left, said they tied up the visitors with electric wire, terrorised them while looting the defenceless guests - and then one man raped two of the women.They robbed the guests of all their valuables and cellphones.The men then fled in a car - which they only meant to use as a getaway car because it was found abandoned at Diepsloot, a squatter settlement. Frans Richter, owner of the nearby Heia safari ranch, also was murdered in November last year. http://www.default.aspxtelegraaf.nl/telesport/voetbal/1990973/__Luipaard_Zakumi_mascotte_WK__.html
SA's World Cup 2010 roving ambassadorMark Fish attacked:
August 23 2008. PRETORIA. Ex-footballer Mark Fish, photo -- a roving ambassador for the World Cup 2010 tournaments being held in SA from next year -- also survived an armed attack against himself and his family in Pretoria. South Africa now suffers from such violent armed attackers countrywide, in every region -- even small retirement-coastal towns which in the past were always presumed safe such as Kleinmond, now suffer from the scourge of heavily-armed feral youth-gangs.http://cid-df2b0042b93ed3a1.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
Krugersdorp Lion Park murder: Recently a German visitor also was shot dead in cold blood - right amongst a crowd of visiting families with many small children at the hugely popular Lion Park restaurant in the adjacent Krugersdorp region during a massive armed robbery by a twenty-member gang armed with Uzis and Ak47s.
http://www.702.co.za/news/news.asp#94214
Robberies over the past two years with links and pix, see:
http://groups.msn.com/crimebustersofsouthafrica/robberies.msnw
Murders over the past two years with links and pix, see:
http://groups.msn.com/crimebustersofsouthafrica/murders.msnw
SA Police crime statistics: http://www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2008/crime_stats_2008.htm
OTHER RECENT ATTACKS AGAINST TOURISTS:
Camps Bay: UK tourists attacked, their baby held hostage
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20080303055509130C682905
Durban: 3 tourists hijacked: stopped at Chatsworth traffic light
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2185678,00.html
Durban: Russian marathon-scientist Dr. Sergey Krasnoschekov attacked, robbed in South Africa
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2343408,00.html
Durban: 9-member armed gang holds up all the guests at four-star Ghost Mountain Inn, Mkuze, KZN:
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2165331,00.html
Johannesburg airport attacks:
- Six American tourists attacked ten minutes after arrival from Johannesburg Airport
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=79&art_id=vn20080307060727732C432477
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2289902,00.html
- US Embassy: 'gangs targeting arrivals at SA airports'
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1008.html
- UN personnel warned against landing there at night:
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2339875,00.html
http://blog.preferredconsumer.com/consumer/travel-alertswarnings/
- Angolan family robbed by airport-crime syndicate
http://www.702.co.za/news/news.asp#84639
- wife of ex-Nigerian president attacked:
Two men, Freedom Mukwevho and Bongani Thabethe, were arrested in March and charged at Wynberg magistrate's court with armed robbery for attacking Oluremi, the wife of ex-Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.
http://www.702.co.za/news
- US medical missionaries' supplies robbed:
Steve Kingsley of the Greater Good South Africa Trust said the loss of their medical equipment is terrible. The three missionaries - a doctor and two dentists - will not be able to treat their patients.'
http://www.myggsa.co.za/connect/stories/927/
http://www.myggsa.co.za/connect/requests/1323/
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2374043,00.html
- 47 tourists robbed in two hits on buses:
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2037728,00.html
Parktown: Elderly SA Nobel laureate author
Nadine Gordimer, left, attacked by 3 blacks at home: "When Gordimer refused to hand over her wedding ring, one of the men hit her...'
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20061030031011931C787522 Pretoria: Welsh visitor Stephen Peters, 52,
shot dead in Elarduspark home:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/09/13/welsh-dad-shot-dead-in-south-africa-91466-21808887/
Randburg: Australian visitor missing after withdrawing cash
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2392664,00.htmlRichard's Bay: famous sports-fisherman Clive Hunter, left, shot dead during competition on KZN beach in broad daylight...
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2355563,00.html
Table Mountain tourists attacked at Kirstenbosch Botanic gardens ... again and again and again:
Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch:
German tourists robbed, injured:
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2283062,00.html Cradle of Mankind tourist sites: German restaurant owner Franz Richter murdered -
local residents warn tourists to stay away in protest campaign against crime:
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2236216,00.html Krugersdorp: famous German rosegrower
Ludwig Taschner shot, survives:
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2390792,00.html
Kruger Park wildlife reserve:
- tourists attacked at Marloth Park cottages:
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2281495,00.html
- boy-attacker killed, Marloth Park cottages:
Mozambiquan boy, 12 killed: was shooting at tourists with AK47
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2347132,00.html
- Fanie Keyser, 47 killed at Marloth Park
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2249185,00.html
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2244933,00.html
- Rudolph Harris, 50, murdered at Marloth Park:
http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2244933,00.html
http://groups.msn.com/crimebustersofsouthafrica/murders.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=4084&LastModified=4675655790998091267
- SEE DUTCH ADS FOR MARLOTH PARK: http://www.marlothpark.nl/
Port St. Johns: Eight tourists robbed. 4 armed men, luxury Mpande Holiday Resort Feb 7 2008 Local residents mounted a protest warning tourists to stay away: Two British tourists, one Namibian and five South Africans were robbed at the holiday resort in Port St Johns. Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela said the eight holiday makers were confronted by four armed men with AK47s and handguns at the Mpande Holiday Resort and robbed of everything they owned.
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2266570,00.html
Somerset West: Dutch tourist, 60, in two-hour rape ordeal at 'secure' Lord Charles Hotel
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2285625,00.html
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3526050/_Nederlandse_verkracht_in_Z-Afrika__.html
What 'tourism growth?"
The SA tourism people claim that some 4-million 'foreign visitors' entered SA last year - however 79% of all these 'tourists' were hungry African refugees...
http://groups.msn.com/crimebustersofsouthafrica/alertsonhealth.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=4458&LastModified=4675667314513951162