Thursday attack at Rhodes Mem - Craigs account of his experience

[Andre (TM Safety Action Group)]

Hi All

 

Its easier to just cut Craigs email straight up here.  He has already sent this email and the next one (to follow) to a wide range of people and authorities.

 

We thought that the interventions of the MEC Safety earlier this year would start to make a difference.   Now we are not so sure anymore.   Thursday saw an attack on Craig and his mate and then 24 hours later another attack on a runner in virtually the same area.   Rhodes Mem should be approached with extreme caution now - perhaps we should take Craigs advice and declare it a no-go zone.

 

TMSAG stands ready to do whatever it takes to impress once and for all on the authorities that the situation is unacceptabel to all of us as mountain users.

 

The question is - what recourse do we have?

 

TMSAG

 

 

From: <craig@

Date: 17 June 2011 10:51:36 PM

To: "'Aneez Salie'" < 

Subject: runner mugged today, 17th after my - mugged at knifepoint on table mountain at 3 45 on 16 june 2011

 

Hi Aneez

 

Thanks for the article.  I do however think it is way too soft on the authorities.  It does not suggest, as my account did, that their utter lack of action or plan is the problem.

 

And so, I am so frustrated to hear that another runner got mugged today, 24 hrs after my event.  I assume you guys know this.  If they (tms and police) had a plan, particularly within the 1^st 15 minutes after I reported my incident, then todays incident may not have occurred. 

 

I have a strong feeling it’s the same guys, given how easy it is to operate up there,  and importantly how easy it is to get away with it.

 

I urge you at the C times to escalate the pressure on the authorities, before someone dies up there.  It is the civic duty of the press to raise this pressure. 

 

That there is such ineptitude, and as I witnessed no plan, no thought, no action, no synchronisation...the mountain needs to be declared a no go zone until the public can be assured of some attempt to safeguard the routes.

 

The truth is, for all of us who know the routes well it is not that hard.  All it would take is a couple of permanent security guys to walk the contour paths with radios, and the problem could be solved.  And is employment not a massive priority right now, the bonus would be extra employment.

 

As I said yesterday... I immediately rode barefoot to Rhodes memorial and called the mountain security.  From that moment on the frustration shifted to the lack of response, the utterly inadequate planning. I witnessing that between table mountain security, and the police, there is just no reaction plan, zip response to a life threatening mugging. 

 

By the time TMS eventually took my description of the men, 20 minutes later, I knew they were long gone.  The police arrived 1 hour later with no intention, inclination or resource to respond.

 

This mugging, along with the many others raises the big question.  Who and how are we going to take back our heritage site mountain.  And what plan, response or intention does our city council have. We got away lucky, the next mountain negotiation might not end that way.

 

I am not aware of how the runner today faired, from a safety pov.

 

Note – the 2 guys cc’d above have both been mugged/stabbed up there.

 

 

Thanks Craig

[Urs Heinz Huber]

Hi Andre,

 

Nothing has changed, just as I thought it would. They will not do anything until someone dies. It's terrible!

 

Btw, I wanted to come to Constantia Nek to support your guys, but unfortunately I'm being stuck at work, major computer upgrade. So I wish you and all the people good luck.

 

Kind Regards

 

Urs

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Table Mountain Watch" group.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/TableMountainWatch/-/rY5MhUkgOx0J.
To post to this group, send email to TableMoun...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to TableMountainWa...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/TableMountainWatch?hl=en.

[neville gottlieb]

Cannot we have a meeting with our Councillors - in our case Ivan Iverson, He may be able to bring Ms Zille into the equation and she might be able to put a candle under the pants of the Table Mountain people.

I am pretty certain that the situation will not improve without  Govt help and intervention/

I know that this is a pretty useless message but I can start with Iverson

What do you think.?

Regards

Neville gottlieb.

----- Original Message -----

From: Andre (TM Safety Action Group)

To: TableMoun...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 5:06 PM

Subject: [Table Mountain Watch:113] Thursday attack at Rhodes Mem - Craigs account of his experience

--

[Andre van Schalkwyk]

Hi Neville

 

If we all start to email our respective councillors and get them on it – this would help hugely.  At the moment there are only a few of us shouting the odds.  I’ve been shouting so hard they don’t even listen anymore.  I’m like a stuck record to them.  

 

The government??    In my opinion, these damn politicians are useless. We have the MEC for Security himself heading up the ‘TM Crime Fighting Forum” and today, what do they do?  They managed to bs both eTV and SABC3 that crime incidents are down by 50% “year on year”.   I ask you with tears in my eyes where they get this from.  To date neither SAPS or TMNP have been able to show us any form of statistics or trends.  In fact they have asked us for our database!!    I’ll show you the opposite trend since 2008.

 

Keep emailing your local councillor as they say in the classics. 

 

Cheers

Andre

 

From: tablemoun...@googlegroups.com [mailto:tablemoun...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of neville gottlieb
Sent: 18 June 2011 05:57 PM
To: TableMoun...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [Table Mountain Watch:117] Thursday attack at Rhodes Mem - Craigs account of his experience

 

Cannot we have a meeting with our Councillors - in our case Ivan Iverson, He may be able to bring Ms Zille into the equation and she might be able to put a candle under the pants of the Table Mountain people.

I am pretty certain that the situation will not improve without  Govt help and intervention/

I know that this is a pretty useless message but I can start with Iverson

What do you think.?

Regards

Neville gottlieb.

----- Original Message -----

From: Andre (TM Safety Action Group)

To: TableMoun...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 5:06 PM

Subject: [Table Mountain Watch:113] Thursday attack at Rhodes Mem - Craigs account of his experience

 

Hi All

 

Its easier to just cut Craigs email straight up here.  He has already sent this email and the next one (to follow)  a wide range of people and authorities.