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- A Stuijt
- Retired South African medical journalist, ex-Sunday Times of Johannesburg.
Four-member family dead in Harrismith plane crash
17:45 | 
Posted by
A Stuijt |
Orthodontist Dr Johan Venter, wife Elzabe, son Christiaan and wife Christine, both chartered accountants, all dead in crash
A medical specialist in orthodontry from Vereeniging and three of his family members died when their Beechcraft Bonanza single-engine plane flew into the Platberg mountain near Harrismith in the Free State in poor weather conditions. The family was enroute from their home in Vereeniging to Margate in KZN. 
Killed were Dr. Johan Adriaan Venter (61) and wife Elzabé (61), their chartered-accountant son Christiaan Venter, and wife Christine, (both 29, both CA’s). Picture of the crash was taken by Volksblad.
Oldest son lives in London, UK
Their oldest son Wilhelm, who works as a chartered accountant and lives with wife Natasha in London, UK were home for the holidays. They were devastated, he said. He had lost his parents and his only brother just a day after they had all been together as a family after the baptism of their little girl, Sophia, in their Vereeniging church. Sophia was the first grandchild and his parents were so excited about her. “I was so looking forward to them seeing her grow up,’ he said.
The day before the crash had been such a great day, he said. Everyone was gathered at the parental home, and to have it end like this was the most devastating blow to any family, he said. The funeral arrangements were still being finalised and probably would’nt been known until next week.
The oldest son and his family were enroute to the Johannesburg International Airport to fly to Cape Town for a holiday at Pringle Bay – but turned back to Vereeniging after hearing that the parental plane had gone missing, he said. “My telephone number was listed on their flight-plan, the air controllers called me at around 3pm to notify that they were missing. Half an hour later I heard that the wreckage was located. Natasha and I turned around and drove back to Vereeniging,’ he said.
Ms Santjie White of the SA Search and Rescue Organisation, SASAR, said the plane had probably had ‘technical problems’ for which it tried to divert to Harrismith. However the Platberg mountain near Harrismith was coated in a thick fog.
Chris Botha of the Netcare 911 emergency service said paramedics had to travel up the mountainside in heavy-terrain vehicles to reach the crime scene, and the bodies of the Afrikaners were tackled up with ropes – an Oryx helicopter had to travel from Durban to take the Venter family to an airfield near Harrismith from where they were taken by road to the Phuthaditjhaba government mortuary.
A long-time colleague Dr Pieter Grové, a dentist of Vanderbijlpark said he believed that ‘something was badly wrong’ because Dr Venter has been flying for the past 14 years and has extensive flying experience in South Africa. The plane he was using also had the best and most modern instruments on board. Dr Venter was also qualified for bad-weather flying, he said http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/472c5b3dbed04a7a95aa13595388e9d1/29-12-2009-12-51/Die_ergste_einde
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Whites barred from Table Mountain peoples’ hut
Racism charge lodged against Table Mountain National Park
Did you know that Table Mountain has been renamed “Hoerikwaggo”?
2009-12-29 Cape Town Civil rights initiative AfriForum has lodged a formal charge of racism with the SA Human Rights Commission against the Table Mountain Natonal Park. Two white students were allegedly barred from the national park because of their skin colour, said Kallie Kriel, executive officer of AfriForum.
The charges were lodged on behalf of Stef Terblanche of Tableview in Cape Town after his two sons Etienne, 21 and Stiaan, 19, took a hiking tour during which they tried to stay overnight at the publicly-funded Peoples Trail Hut. This hut has basic sleeping facilities, a barbeque and a shower. The two brothers phoned the number located at the hut to make their reservation in advance. However they were told by telephone that this overnight-facility was only reserved for black people, not for whites. Apparently the ýouths’ Afrikaans accents over the telephone were used as the only criteria in which they were judged as being ‘whites’.
The trail the youths hiked on starts at Constantia Nek Circle. continued up Disa Gorge through indigenous afromontane forest, winds its way through the fynbos landscape to the People’s Trail Hut on the Back Table. The People’s Trail Hut is available at R30 ($3) a night, while other, more luxurious accommodation on the mountain costs R800 a night, said AfriForum in its statement. view available facilities on Table Mountain: http://www.tablemountainwalks.co.za/booking.html#table_mntn
Kriel said it was ‘worrying’ to experience the State’s obsessiion with race – which now even manifests itself in student-accommodations on the publicly funded Table Mountain National Park.
‘Children of black millionaires can use the Peoples Hut – but children of poor white families cannot:’
“Youths who just started their school careers under the New South Africa now are treated as second-class citizens by Table Mountain National Park only based on their skin colour. No inequalities from the past can be ‘readjusted’ by maintaining racial quotas on Table Mountain because even the children of black millionaires can use these student-lodgings, while poor students from other communities are barred from these facilities,’ he said.
- SANPARK spokeswoman Evelyn Holtzhausen said the facilities on the mountain are ‘for everyone. We are aware of these complaints and these will be thoroughly investigated to clear up this misunderstanding, ‘ she said. http://www.afriforum.co.za/?p=3877
Also – in case you didn’t know it yet, Table Mountain has been renamed. The SANPARKS people call this the Hoerikwaggo regionl – apparently an old Khoi-San world for ‘mountain in the sea’. However the word ‘Hoer’ means “Whore’ in Dutch-Afrikaans, and thus this ‘alternative name’ is not being well-received by the Afrikaans-speaking minority. http://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/ht/all.php.
.jpg "Peoples Trail and Hut on Table Mountain hike")
http://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/ht/images/maps/people-day1(low1).jpg
Poor white South African families: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/263651
News update from Sapa Dec 29 2009
KHOZA:FIVE IN COURT IN CAMERA-APPEARANCE (ONE ACCUSED WAS 17) FOR QUADRUPLE-MURDERS OF BUSINESSWOMAN, FAMILY
KHOZA:RESIDENTS AWAIT APPEARANCE OF FIVE
KHOZA:RESIDENTS CALL FOR LIFE SENTENCE FOR ALLEGED KHOZA KILLERSCOOLDRINKS:BOYCOTT COKE, SAY METAL WORKERS
RACISM:COSATU: MORE RACISM AT SUN CITY
HARRISMITH:17 INJURED IN HARRISMITH TAXI ACCIDENT
MALAWI- ARRESTS FIRST GAY WEDDING COUPLE FOR 'GROSS INDECENCY'
ATHLETICS-CASTER:NO PLANS FOR SEMENYA TO SUE IAAF AND ASA
ZUMA-PARTY:THOUSANDS ATTEND ZUMA CHRISTMAS PARTY
SHARK: ATTACK MAN NOT KEEN TO GET BACK IN SEA: REPORT
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other headlines
Brits storm causes R1m worth of damage
A storm in villages around Brits in the North West have destroyed 61 homes and caused damage estimated at R1-million. Four people died when their light aircraft crashed into a misty mountain side near a landing strip in Harrismith, Free State, yesterday morning.Boycot Coca Cola four hours a day – union
Numsa spokesman Castro Ngobese called on South Africans who consume Coke to stop buying Amalgamated Beverage Industries beverages between 1 and 5pm every day to force the company to adhere to workers' demands. "The arrogance displayed by SA Breweries' ABI management is reflective of their intentions to maintain and perpetuate the old apartheid Bantu income inequalities in the midst of massive poverty," Ngobese said in a statement. This follows a march by 700 ABI workers, affiliated with the Food and Allied Worker's Union (Fawu), at the company's Pretoria plant on Tuesday following collapsed talks with management. Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said the strike was part of increasing pressure on SA Breweries' ABI to meet workers demands of a 9.5 percent wage increment, a 45 hour working week and overtime pay. They also wanted a moratorium on the use of labour brokers. http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/article244134.ece
Woman held captive in Guguletu shack dies of scalding wounds:
December 29 2009 By Ilse Fredericks The Cape Argus. A 23-year-old woman who was scalded with boiling water and allegedly kept prisoner for several days in a Gugulethu shack has died. Thomokazi Zazayokwe died on December 20, almost four months after the attack.The Cape Argus reported at the time that neighbours, alerted by Zazayokwe's moans, found her in her former boyfriend's shack in New Rest at the end of August.It is believed she was kept prisoner in the shack for five days.
Zimbabwean farmworker chased from De Doorns squatter camp during xenophobic unrest drowns
A Zimbabwean farmworker, who was chased out of a De Doorns informal settlement during recent xenophobic unrest in SA, has drowned. Full Story...
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Top December Picture from SAPA:
Afrikaners from all over South Africa renewed the vow made by the VoortrekKers on this day in 1838 during a ceremony at Blood River in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Wednesday, 16 December 2009. The event started at 6 am with a church service and was followed by a horse commando parade and wreath laying ceremony. Picture: Wessel Oosthuizen/SAPA Copyright – Order from:
http://www.sapapics.co.za/ by clicking on following link:
First National Bank racist-bursary issue unresolved
First National Bank faces consumer boycot over racism issue
Dec 29 2009 - 
First National Bank’s managing director may have made his first concession in the racism-row which erupted after news that the SA bank refused to include low-income white workers’ in its educational-funding scheme for the children of workers earning less than R100,000 ($10,000) annually. However the statement by MD Dr Michael Jordaan remained vague: he also said that they would ask for legal advice on this matter first, as ‘it would have to comply with the government’s laws on black-economic empowerment…’ This means that only 6% of the FNB’s white employees earning less than R100,000 a year, would “qualify”, based on the countrywide proportional representation of ‘whites’ in South Africa.
Beeld journalists Carina van Wyk and Pieter du Toit report:
Countless people have already threatened to close their FNB –accounts after Beeld newspaper reported last week that FNB would only supply financial aid to the education of the children of lower-paid ‘black’ workers’. In their electronic newsletter sent to employees, FNB described what they meant by ‘black’as: “African, Indian, Coloured and Chinese’.
Trade union Solidarity has undertaken to negotiate about the issue with the bank in iddle-January 2010 to try and find a legal solution to the ‘quandary’.
Solidarity meanwhile has launched an internet-awareness campaign about the ‘blacks-only’ bursary scheme and has already sent more than 500 complaints lodged by the public via its website to FBN, said their spokesman.
Jordaan of the FNB tried to defend the scheme in an statement to Beeld today, saying it was ‘targetting black people because it was part of a black-empowerment transaction and for no other reason…’ He said in this ‘BEE-transaction, dating from 2004 by its holding company FirstRand, a trust fund was launched to help educate only “black” children. And under this deal, he said, ‘only blacks will be allowed to benefit from this scheme.’
Jordaan said the bank ‘would obtain new legal advice and find out if it is legally possible to also admit white people to the scheme without disadvantage to the black-economic-empowerment scheme’. He also said that the FBN ‘has several other bursary schemes and educational programmes where personnel can obtain submit on merit.’
However Solidarity’s deputy-head Dirk Hermann said their legal advisors are convinced that there is no law which would require that only black people could benefit from such a transaction. He said most of the FNB-workers who earn less than R100,000 are black – but even if those white workers who earn little and suffer financial hardships were included, it would still remain a ‘black-empowerment-transaction’ under the law.
“We have been under heavy pressure from the public to launch a user-boycot and some people have indeed already let it me known that they would be taking their banking business elsewhere.’
He points out that it is ‘important for big companies to realise that it is not necessary to go further than the law requires whenever economic empowerment issues are raised.’
One of the bank’s customers who threatens to switch banks, Flippie van Dyk, told Beeld newspaper that he will definitely be closing his FNB-credit card account, with which he carries out annual transactions to the tune of R700,000.’“I feel it’s wrong to exclude any racial group,’ he said. http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/c96c761c450743138b85864b480e6b6b/29-12-2009-12-51/ENB_help_wit_werkers_se_kinders_as_kenners_s%C3%AA_dit_kan
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links and previous report:
‘Black double-earners qualify: but white single-moms earning less than R100,000 do not…
- 2009-12-24 The First National Bank in South Africa is accused of racism and discrimination for providing financial help to educate the children of their lower-income workers (earning less than R100,000) – but not if they are white. Solidarity trade union’s Dirk Hermann commented that he wasn’t using the word ‘boycot’ as yet, and that it ‘was up to individuals to decide whether they still should support a bank which does not share one’s own value system’… http://www.br.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Business%2520Report&fArticleId=5296888
An awareness campaign was immediately launched on Facebook and from its responses from both white and black customers, their are many vows to close their accounts: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=251604741398&ref=mf&v=info
- Another campaign was also successfully launched previously from the Afrikaner community against the Old Mutual insurance company for supporting the Mugabe-regime, after an earlier successful campaign to boycot Nestle products – and they managed to force Nestle company to stop buying milk from a farm owned by Grace Mugabe, wife of the Zimbabwean dictator and pull out of its Zimbabwean operations altogether. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3209058&op=1&view=all&subj=1026941238&id=685623294#/group.php?gid=178483203846&ref=mf
Last week, the FNB rised the ire of its employees after sending around an electronic newsletter to all its employees stating that while they are committed to ‘provide an education for all’, only ‘black workers children’ will qualify for the company’s financial assistance. Their definition of ‘black’ is “African, Indian, coloured and Chinese’, and all such employees earning less than R100,000 annually can apply for financial aid to help educate their children.
Trade union Solidarity demands that FNB review this policy, commenting that ‘the bank is giving a black Christmas stocking to its white workers’.
‘Many white female employees are single moms earning less than R100,000 and also struggle to pay the school fees:’
One FNB-employee who does not want to be identified for fear of victimisation, said the bank’s initiative is ‘unacceptable.’ “There are many white women at FNB who earn less than R100,000, are single parents and also struggle to keep their heads above water. Those people also struggle to pay school-fees, but cannot apply for help only because they are white’.
Some workers were very upset when the bank announced its scheme, she said.
- “This will also cause a great deal of malcontent among the employees -- because some black workers qualify for earning less than R100,000 individually while their spouses earn more. So although such double-earners do not need this money as urgently, they still qualify purely based on their skin-colour. This is blatant racial discrimination in the worst degree,’ the employee ‘s husband told Beeld.
Solidarity trade union deputy chief Dirk Hermann said the First National Bank has ‘clearly bowed down to political correctness and refuses to admit the reality in which South Africans find themselves. The bank’s decision to exclude low-income white workers from this educational-aid scheme, is based on the government’s racial ideologies. It also proves that big companies cannot be trusted to help protect democracy,’ he pointed out.
“The FNB took this decision with the government’s policies in their mindset, with the idea that everyone ‘must become black’ Big companies submit to the ruling ideology, not whether it is ethically acceptable or not. “The citizens have to take responsibility by calling this bank to order,’ he said.
Solidarity is lodging a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission and also is awaiting a legal opinion before deciding whether this matter can be raised in a law suit at the Equality Court, said Herman.
“It is an individual choice whether or not a bank shares your own value-system,’ he said. “If the bank does not do that, it may be time to consider switching banks’. Beeld newspaper approached Ms Sam Moss of its holding company FirstRand for comment but had not received it by the time of going to press.http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/14a67f7db4314458b499878f4abffb12/24-12-2009-03-54/Banke_se_beurse_nie_vir_wittes
S.Africa travel warning from US government
United States Government warnings for travellers to South Africa:
US State Department Travel Warning – published in full below: SAFETY AND SECURITY: “Travelers [to South Africa] are encouraged to be vigilant and avoid any large gathering, particularly protests and demonstrations. The possibility of violence, including threats against American interests, should not be discounted, particularly in times of heightened world tension.
(the logo on the left is ours, the US State Department has nothing to do with that… for detailed SA crime statistics click here)
The US State Department warns: “South Africa has seen a number of attacks directed at foreigners – particularly refugees or immigrants from other African nations. Many of the attacks were centered in Johannesburg and the province of Gauteng in low income neighborhoods and informal settlements, but incidents of mob violence have taken place throughout the country. Many individuals have been killed in these incidents and many more, both targeted victims and bystanders, have been injured. While there have been no reports of Americans or other non-African visitors being targeted, these incidents of mob violence have sprung up quickly and proven difficult for local authorities to control. American residents and visitors are advised to listen to local media for reports of such incidents and to avoid areas (including but not limited to townships) where they may be likely to occur.
“For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website, where the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, as well as the Worldwide Caution, can be found.
“Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
“The Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State’s information on A Safe Trip Abroad.
CRIME: Although the vast majority of visitors complete their travels in South Africa without incident, visitors should be aware that criminal activity, often violent, occurs routinely. Notwithstanding government anti-crime efforts, violent crimes such as armed robbery, carjacking, mugging, "smash and grab" attacks on vehicles, and other incidents are regularly reported by visitors and resident Americans.
Visitors and residents are advised of ongoing criminal activity involving organized crime gangs targeting individuals at shopping centers and other public places. Once a victim has been identified, he/she is followed back to his/her residence and robbed, usually at gunpoint, although the use of force is generally reserved for those offering some form of resistance. These gangs tend to target people appearing to be affluent, including those driving expensive cars, wearing eye-catching jewelry, flashing large amounts of cash, and/or making high-value purchases. Criminals also gravitate towards “soft” targets – people who appear preoccupied and do not pay attention to their immediate surroundings. Visitors who believe they are being followed should travel directly to a police station or other public location.
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) have increasingly been targeted by criminals. The use of commercial explosives to blow up ATMs is a relatively new phenomenon in South Africa. In 2006, 54 such attacks were recorded. In 2007, the number of ATM bombings jumped to 387. While statistically affecting only a small percentage of machines, in 2008, the number of attacks rose to nearly 500. ATM bombings have usually taken place in the early hours of the morning in remote or isolated areas although recent attacks have taken place at gas stations and shopping complexes. Criminals also loiter near ATM machines and target persons withdrawing cash. Based on these threats, the following security precautions are recommended: Avoid using ATMs in dark, remote, or isolated areas. ATMs located inside shopping malls, hotels, and banks are preferred since they are normally high-traffic areas, and monitored by security guards and cameras. Avoid using an ATM with a cord or other foreign object attached to it. Should you notice a suspicious device on an ATM, immediately leave the area; take cover, and notify the police. Shrapnel and debris from an explosion can travel long distances and cause serious injury or death. Before withdrawing money, scan the area for any suspicious persons or activity. Should anyone approach you while you are withdrawing money, immediately cancel the transaction and leave the area. Should you be confronted by an armed individual - immediately comply, avoid making sudden movements, and do not offer any form of resistance. Any hesitation on your part could be perceived as a threat and may result in unnecessary violence. Criminals do not discriminate. Members of the international diplomatic community have recently been included as targets of crime.
Motorists are urged to be extremely cautious when approaching intersections and to hide bags, cell phones, and other valuables from view. Criminals are on the lookout for valuable items they can see through car windows (see mention of “smash and grab” under traffic safety). Doors should be kept locked and windows rolled up at all times.
Crimes against property, such as carjacking, have often been accompanied by violent acts, including murder, when victims resist or are slow to respond to attackers’ demands. South Africa also has the highest incidence of reported rape in the world. Foreigners are not specifically targeted, but several have been the victims of rape. Victims of violent crime, especially rape, are strongly encouraged to seek immediate medical attention, including antiretroviral therapy against HIV/AIDS. Questions about how to receive such treatment should be directed to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Criminal activity, such as assault, armed robbery, and theft is particularly high in areas surrounding certain hotels and public transportation centers, especially in major cities. Theft of passports and other valuables is most likely to occur at airports, bus terminals, and train stations. A number of Americans have been mugged or violently attacked on commuter and metro trains, especially between Johannesburg and Pretoria. Several American travelers also reported theft of personal belongings after strangers whom they invited into their hotel drugged them. In at least one instance, an American died after being drugged and robbed in this manner.
There is a serious baggage pilferage problem at (Johannesburg) and Cape Town International airports, particularly affecting travelers changing airlines and those flying on smaller airlines—passengers flying on major international carriers may not be affected to the same degree. Travelers are encouraged to secure their luggage with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) approved locks, use an airport plastic wrapping service, and avoid placing electronics, jewelry, cameras or other valuables in checked luggage. Make an inventory of items in checked baggage to aid in claims processing if theft does occur.
In the Western Cape, police resources have been strained by continuing gang conflicts and vigilante violence in the low income areas and informal settlements in Cape Town. The Cape Flats area, surrounding townships, and squatter camps adjacent to the city center, should be avoided by people unfamiliar with the area. Additionally, travelers should be aware that muggings have become common along many popular routes on Table Mountain, a prime tourist destination in Cape Town. Visitors to Table Mountain should be vigilant, hike in groups, and not carry valuables.
Armed robbery of cash-in-transit vehicles and personnel occurs throughout South Africa and peaks during December and January due to the increase in cash flow from commercial stores to banks. These attacks have also included incidents at major malls and in large grocery stores. Individuals should raise their level of situational awareness while in the vicinity of cash-in-transit vehicles and personnel and should avoid areas where they are located to the maximum extent possible.
Credit card fraud, counterfeit U.S. currency, and various check-cashing scams are frequently reported. Do not accept "assistance" from anyone, or agree to assist others with ATM transactions. Travelers should try to avoid using ATMs after bank business hours or in remote locations. When giving your credit card to a store or restaurant employee for processing, do not let the card out of your sight.
“Nigerian 419-scam” -- Visitors should also beware of telephone or email schemes, which attempt to win the confidence of an unsuspecting American who is persuaded either to provide privileged financial information or travel to South Africa to assist in a supposedly lucrative business venture. In 2008, there were several cases of Americans losing thousands of dollars and putting themselves in danger by responding to email financial scams (also known as “419 scams”). Some have traveled to South Africa only to lose more money and sometimes be physically attacked. See the State Department’s financial scam web page. If you have lost money in a financial scam, please file a report with your local police and with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Victims can also report Internet fraud to the FTC online or by phone, toll-free, at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
- To check on a business’s legitimacy while in the U.S., contact the International Trade Administration, Room 3317, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230, telephone: 1-800-USA-TRADE or 202-482-5149, fax: 202-482-5198. If you are abroad, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
INFORMATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME: The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance. The Embassy/Consulate staff can, for example, assist you to find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends and explain how funds could be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed.The local equivalent to the “911” emergency line in South Africa is 10111. See our information on Victims of Crime.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating South Africa’s laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in South Africa are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States. Please see our information on Criminal Penalties.
ONE-QUARTER OF SA POPULATION INFECTED WITH HIV: -- SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES --
Approximately one-quarter of the population of South Africa is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Public awareness in the country as to how to protect against infection is increasing. However, travelers are advised to exercise appropriate precautions if engaging in sexual activity, or if they become exposed to a blood source other than that supplied by a hospital for transfusion purposes.
While visiting game parks and reserves, it is dangerous to leave one's vehicle or otherwise be on foot, even in the presence of a guide. Several incidents of wild animal attacks on tourists in the region have resulted in death or serious injury. If visiting South Africa’s expansive coastline, be mindful of the possible presence of sharks when swimming or engaging in water sports. In 2005 and 2006, in the False Bay area of the Western Cape, several people were attacked by sharks; some of the attacks were fatal. When a shark is spotted close to the shore, local authorities will sound a warning siren to notify swimmers.
Tragic accidents can occur when swimming in the ocean or walking/climbing on shore areas that are not designated beaches. Tourists have drowned when swimming in coastal waters, where tides and wave patterns can change unexpectedly and overwhelm even excellent swimmers. Do not swim alone in isolated beach areas. Do not dive into unknown bodies of water, because hidden rocks or shallow depths can cause serious injury or death.
Eskom, the major supplier of electricity in South Africa, has reported that the demand for electricity may exceed the available supply from time to time. In order to manage the situation Eskom periodically interrupts the supply to certain areas in rolling blackouts termed “load shedding.” Although information about possible outages is available on Eskom’s website, Eskom does not always adhere to the published schedule.
Unexpected power outages may strand individuals in extremely difficult or vulnerable circumstances such as in elevators or, in recent instances, on board the Table Mountain aerial cable car in Cape Town. Power failures may result in considerable inconvenience as most tourist sites are not equipped with generators and may be closed without prior notification. Blackouts may also contribute to traffic congestion, traffic signal failures and hazardous intersections. Please be mindful of any situation in which a sudden break in power could result in potential harm. Please see our Customs Information. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1008.html – END OF WARNING BY US STATE DEPARTMENT
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Canadian uproar over assaults on Canadian priest and a Toronto couple in Hermanus
A brutal assault on a Canadian financial executive, the second violent attack on a Canadian in December 2009, triggered headlines and recriminations in South Africa as the country prepares for an influx of foreign visitors during the World Cup 2010 football tournaments.
The couple, repeatedly stabbed and beaten with rocks on a hiking trail, robbed of their jewellery, digital cameras and cellphones, tied up with shoelaces and left bleeding on the remote mountain. The attack, two weeks after an armed assault on a 70-year-old Canadian priest that left a second priest dead, is provoking another round of soul searching over South Africa’s high rate of violent crime statistics , along with fears that the country’s tourism business could be damaged as the soccer tournament approaches.
The attacks have led to front-page headlines in South African newspapers, sparking new questions about safety for the half-million foreigners who will visit the country next June and July. President Jacob Zuma has promised to reduce crime, but a spate of armed robberies at shopping malls has prompted South African police to threaten “lethal force” against criminals.
Mr. Stern, 59, and Mrs. Stern, 57, South African expats living in Canada were found by hikers about two hours after they were attacked on Tuesday morning, the fourth in two months at the busting holiday town's Fernkloof Reserve. They were flown out by helicopter, but reportedly lost a lot of blood and were hospitalized in serious condition.
Martin said having hiked for more than half an hour from the entrance to the reserve at the bottom of the kloof, they were walking along a jeep track on top of the mountain when they passed two men walking in the opposite direction. "I said good morning, and they nodded," he said, speaking from his hospital bed at Hermanus Medi-Clinic. A few seconds later they heard running footsteps behind them and presumed joggers were approaching.
"The next thing we knew we were being stabbed in the back. I was stabbed next to my kidney, and they stabbed Janet in the arm," said Martin. "They pushed us to the ground and picked up rocks." One attacker smashed Martin across the face with a rock and ripped his bag from his back using his knife. They had large hunting knives that looked about 12 inches (30cm) long, then they really started roughing us up. The attackers took a camera, Janet's watch and wedding ring and cellphone before forcing them down the slope away from the road, throwing rocks at them as they walked. About 30m down the slope the attackers used the couples' shoelaces to bind their feet and hands. "We were feeling very faint and we were beginning to pass out and they told us to lie down." When Janet tried to raise her head, they threw rocks at her, and then the couple were left alone, dehydrated, drenched in blood and weak.
Staggering back to the road, they collapsed repeatedly. The Sterns have visited Hermanus annually for the past 10 years. Now settled in Toronto where Martin works in finance, they said they left South Africa in 1986 for business reasons. Fernkloof was a hiking route Martin said they hiked once or twice a year.
Grant Forbes, reserve manager at Fernkloof, said that in the first attack two months ago, an Italian couple were approached from behind and held up at knifepoint: "They didn't see the guys' faces." The other two attacks were similar. In the second, a woman was slapped in the face, and in the most recent attack, three weeks ago, eight hikers were mugged by two men who beat them with their own walking sticks.
In each incident the attackers were two men, although police Inspector David Payne said there was no evidence linking the attacks, which all occurred on the same trail, in the same area. Zybrandts said two men were apprehended by baboon monitors after the third attack, but they were released due to a lack of evidence. A sign was erected at the entrance to Fernkloof a week ago, warning hikers to be vigilant, and offering emergency phone numbers. Zybrandts said signs were now being erected at all informal entry points to the trail, encouraging hikers to walk in large groups and to start at the main entrance. Security guards would be provided for large groups and small groups would be given pepper spray canisters and whistles. While law enforcement teams did patrol the trails during the holiday season, their number was being increased.
The attack took place on a mountain hiking trail in a nature reserve near Hermanus, a famed whale-watching town on the Atlantic Ocean, east of Cape Town. Because of other mugging attacks recently, the nature reserve was posted with a large sign, warning hikers to be “vigilant at all times” and not to carry any valuables, passports or credit cards. A day before the attack, a group of hikers found a decomposed body on a hiking trail in the same nature reserve. At least four hikers have been attacked in the reserve, but the attack on the Canadians was the first since security was boosted recently, local media reported.
A senior official of the Western Cape government, Alan Winde, expressed worry about what the attack on the Canadians would do for South Africa’s image in the lead-up to the World Cup. “We must not allow these kinds of attacks on anybody in our country, specifically because the eyes of the world are on us at the moment, as we are gearing up to host one of the biggest events in the world,” he told a South African media agency. Earlier this month, a Canadian priest narrowly survived an armed assault that killed another priest. Father Guido Bourgeois, a 70-year-old Catholic missionary from Canada, was able to barricade himself in a room when his house was attacked by armed robbers near Johannesburg, but another priest in the same house, 70-year-old Father Louis Blondel of France, was shot dead. He was the fourth Catholic priest to be killed in South Africa this year. A spokeswoman for Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department would not give any details of the latest incident. Canadian consular officials at the High Commission in Pretoria said they were aware of the stabbing of two Canadian citizens in South Africa, but would not be able to provide additional information because of the Privacy Act. "Consular officials are actively providing consular assistance and support to them," said Lisa Monette, a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs and International Trade. sources - http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2376594
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Tourists shot at, killed, robbed – the list…
11 Dec 2009 Malani Venter of Die Burger newspaper in Cape Town writes: Two German tourists were robbed on November 25 2009 at the four-star Laibach Vineyards Lodge in Stellenbosch (above) by three knifemen wearing balaclavas ... read the rest of the list: http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2009/12/german-woman-murdered-four-german.html
Elderly Dutch tourists shot at, robbed ...
2 Dec 2009 -- Marloth Park, Buks Viljoen of Beeld newspaper reports that four elderly Dutch tourists were shot at enroute to their Marloth Park holiday cottage near the Kruger Wildlife Reserve and robbed of about R100,000's worth of electronic items, passports, their rental car, their clothes and even their shoes and then dumped at the roadside in the dark. Fortunately, these tourists found help at a farmhouse about 1km away. http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2009/12/elderly-dutch-tourists-shot-at-robbed.html
Belgian tourists robbed in KwaZulu
29 Oct 2009 Belgian tourists' bags robbed outside Dundee restaurant, KZN. Crime Alert To South African Motorists 28 October 2009 - Three men were arrested and remanded in the Dundee Magistrate's Court for stealing luggage from Belgian tourists ...http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2009/10/belgian-students-robbed-in-kwazulu.html
Pilot ‘s uniform, passport, visas looted at SA Open Golf Tournament
December 22 2009 -- A pilot can’t fly after his uniform, cap, passports and visas were stolen at the prestigious South African Open golf tournament at the weekend, which featured five of the world's top players, writes Lavern de Vries in the Daily News. The pilot, who declined to be named, says he works for ‘a major South African airline,’ and attended the tournament when his car was broken into. "We paid a R10 parking fee and expected the security guards to have heard the alarm going off," he said.
Eyethu Events, the security provider for the event, disagreed, alleging that the theft was ‘the work of a syndicate’: its operations director Charl Barnard, said 47 security guards had been deployed on Saturday, in line with the tournament organiser's budget. On Sunday 900 cars had entered the area, he added.
"We realised something was amiss when two cars of the same make were broken into on Saturday and Sunday," he said. They boosted security staff to 51 and allowed all cars of that make to park in a designated area.Barnard said his company had been in contact with the SAPS , who were investigating.
The pilot, meanwhile, would have to claim from his insurance “as signs placed at the tournament warned motorists that parking was done at their own risk”, Barnard said. This article was originally published on page 5 of Daily News on December 22, 2009 contact for Eyethu Events: Phil Prinsloo, Managing Director, 083 667 7377
Robbers target international reporters
Sunday December 6, 2009 -- Foreign journalists have been told to be on guard against criminals after two international television crews were robbed by thieves in Cape Town. Members of a German news crew were held up at knifepoint off Long Street, while a BBC crew had equipment worth an estimated R120 000 stolen out of their vehicle while filming on Ou Kaapse Weg.The BBC crew has been in Cape Town for four weeks filming a documentary on the power of football to change people's lives - specifically disadvantaged youth. Producer Andrew Bell said they had been doing shots of the Cape Flats from Ou Kaapse Weg when the thieves struck, smashing a window in their vehicle and stealing a lens, microphones and other camera equipment.The German crew were accosted by a gang of well-dressed men carrying knives. The two German men were forced to hand over wallets, air tickets and cellphones.
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Frenchwoman found slain, as her baby cries
The French Embassy in South Africa still warns of the murder last year of French national Charlotte Coutrot (30) who was shot and killed during a robbery at her Parkhurst home on 11 December 2008. She had been shot in the head. Her four month-old baby was found crying next to her. http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20081211174757329C241289 Woman shot dead, baby found crying
- L’Oréal manager leaves SA after wife’s killing
30-year-old French woman found murdered in her Parkhurst, Johannesburg, home. The murder of the young mother, whose baby was left crying in the main bedroom, shocked the Parkhurst community. Charlotte Coutrot, 30, was found dead by her partner, Maxime du Pont, and a security guard he had called for assistance, when he arrived home from work. Coutrot had lived in South Africa for less that two years. She was found on December 8 in a bedroom of the Seventh Street home she shared with Du Pont, an employee of French cosmetics giant L'Oreal. Du Pont had tried to call her on her cellphone earlier in the day but got no response. When he arrived home at about 5.30pm he found the gate to their home open and could hear their baby crying. He called a security guard and the two entered the house. Coutrot had been shot in the head. A DVD player, a camera and several other electrical and kitchen appliances were missing. There was no sign of forced entry. The police said that surveillance camera footage would help to solve the murder. One police official said this week that the post-mortem results, as well as other forensic test results, were being awaited before an arrest was made. "We have our suspicions about who [the murderers] are, but the investigation is now at a sensitive stage and we want to be sure of all our facts before we arrest these people and take them to court," he said. Greg Margolis, the chairperson of the Parkhurst Residents' Association, said he was inundated with phone calls from concerned residents on the day of the murder. "The residents were very shocked. My phone did not stop ringing on the day that it happened. "The crime rate in our suburb is pretty stable and there is not much serious crime here. I cannot remember when last we had a murder. "This was a shocking incident," he said. Margolis and the local police are convinced that the murder was an isolated incident, perpetrated by someone the victim knew. "There is no indication of a spike in crime in Parkhurst," said Margolis.Deborah Schepers, who had attended an ante-natal course with Coutrot and Du Pont, said on her website that she was "deeply shocked and saddened" to hear about the murder. "Our hearts go out to him and their baby daughter, who has suddenly been left without a mother," she said. The French embassy in South Africa assisted Coutrot's family, who accompanied her body back to France for burial late this week. Celeste Tema, the spokesperson for L'Oreal, extended the company's condolences to DuPont, his daughter and family, saying the young woman's murder was shocking. It is not known whether Du Pont, who returned to France this week to bury his partner, will come back to South Africa.Posted by ZeroTolerance at South African P.I.G. Labels: 2010 WORLD CUP SOCCER, CRIME, TOURISM
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20081204 Schoolgirl, 15, of Dubai, survives shooting at God's Window overlook, Graskop
Picture of God's Window by Komatiland Eco-Tourism
Dec 4 2008 Beeld journalist Buks Viljoen reports that an 15-year-old girl whose mom works in Dubai, while her two children attend boarding school in Pietermaritzburg, was shot and injured during an armed attack by three men. Her mom, Mandy Cocco, 43, was taking pictures at the famous God's Window overlook at rural Graskop, Mpumalanga.
Ms Cocco lives and works in Dubai and was in the country to fetch her son and daughter for a Dubai holiday. Ms Cocco - her maiden-name -- does not want her daughter identified by name for fear of reprisals. The mother and daughter had stopped at the world-famous overlook to take pictures enroute to Hoedspruit to fetch the girl's brother. Three black men walked past, one grabbed her handbag, she screamed and hit him with the camera, she said. Then one of the black men pulled a gun from a plastic bag and simply shot her daughter for no apparent reason whatsoever - they had already robbed the visitors. The teen was hit in the right shoulder. The three attackers climbed into Ms Cocco's rented Mercedes-Benz and chased off. The vehicle was found abandoned in Phalaborwa several hours later. The girl underwent surgery at Nelspruit Medi-Clinic to remove the bullet. Mc Cocco said her child was very traumatised. It's presumed the family still flew to Dubai for the holiday - the report does not say. Police capt. Malcolm Mokomene confirmed the attack and said no-one has been arrested. http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2437580,00.html
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Rural Rhuslancea lodge in Hennops River attacked
Oct 21 2008 The owner of a luxury Hennops River lodge, Riaan Malenze, 35 and its security guard Joseph Antionio, were seriously injured after armed attackers dug a tunnel beneath the electrified fence, invaded the lodge and tied up the owner, the guard and the owner's wife . The two unarmed men were shot -- and then also stabbed in the stomachs as they fell down. By Tuesday, both men still were reported in critical condition. Contact lodge: Tel: +27 (12) 659-0324 Cell: 083 266 0221 Email: reservations@rhuslancea.co.za
Particularly nasty crime...police:
- The attack - described as a 'particularly nasty crime' by police - took place at the four-star luxury Rhuslancea Lodge in Hennops River Valley area, northern Gauteng during the early hours of a Saturday morning and forms part of a wave of violent crimes gripping the area. The gang struck just after 1am when they dug a hole under an electric perimeter fence and overpowered a security guard. After tying up the guard, several of the robbers stood watch over him while their accomplices made their way to the lodge's main house where they forced their way inside through a back door.
Sexually taunted, shot, then stabbed...
Once inside, the gunmen overpowered the owners Riaan Malenze, 35, and his wife, Tertia, and tied them up before ransacking the house and forcing open a safe, which is believed to have contained firearms, jewellery and cash.
The black gunmen then taunted the couple - threatening to sexually assault them both -- before they opened fire on the unarmed Mr Malenze, shooting him in the stomach. It is not known how many times Malenze was shot.
As the gunmen who shot Malenze fled, their accomplices, who were keeping watch over the guard, also stabbed him repeatedly before escaping. Malenze was rushed to Unitas Hospital by his wife, while the guard was taken to Kalafong Hospital. Both are in a critical condition.
Erasmia police station commissioner Superintendent Faan Steynberg confirmed that the farm attackers had gained access to the property by digging a hole under the perimeter fence which is electrified. "They knew exactly what they were doing. Some went straight to the owner while the others overpowered the guard. This is a particularly nasty crime. It appears as though the owner and the guard were deliberately shot. "It looks as though they shot them for the fun of it," said Steynberg, adding that a task team was in the process of tracking down the gunmen.
LOTS MORE VIOLENT ROBBERIES IN AREA:
- Sharon Bernhardt, who runs a community assistance programme in the Hennops River Valley, said crime in the area was increasing. "We have a lot of robberies, especially violent ones," she said.
- Chris and Rachelle Lubbe: attacked, tortured with hot iron: left for Australia...2 weeks later.There were the attacks on Chris and Rachelle Lubbe who were attacked and tortured with a hot iron after being tied up and assaulted earlier this year.Rachelle was burnt on her left breast, shoulder and buttocks while Chris was burnt repeatedly on his back. The couple and their family left for Australia two weeks after the attack, said Bernhardt.Bernhardt, herself a victim of three robberies, said crime was happening more often. "The attacks happen on such a regular basis that residents are becoming used to them," she said.
- Sayer family also attacked: Agreeing, Claire Sayer, owner of Fossils Family Kitchen and Pub, said people were attacked every month. "It is definitely getting worse, especially the violent attacks," she said, adding that her family had also fallen victim to armed robbers...
Captain Tessa Jansen said the gunmen at the lodge gained access to the house by forcing their way through a back door before they made their way to the couple's bedroom where they overpowered and tied them up. "The robbers ransacked the house and then shot the owner before they fled with their loot," she said.Kate Chvitanic, Unitas Hospital spokeswoman, confirmed Malenze was in a critical condition in the hospital. Family spokesman Johan Snyman, declined to comment. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20081020054740340C310376
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Most of SA’s ‘4-million tourists’ are starving refugees from the rest of Africa
Oct 17 2008 - The glowing SA propaganda reports kept claiming in 2008 that some 4-million 'foreign visitors' entered SA last year - however 79% of all these 'tourists' were people who were ‘ hungry, scared, homeless African refugees ‘who walked into the country on temporary visitors' visas. The SA authorities assures the public that the WC2010 football tourists 'will be safe', trotting out two brand-new helicopters and claims of having 110,000 cops to protect them to reassure the worriers. http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=855400
While those 3,500 journalists on this junket were confined to their carefully laid-out, highly-supervised and patrolled 'Potemkin-village" environments, the country's 110,000 police officers meanwhile, are increasingly unable to control the world's most violent crime epidemic and are targetted for murder by crime-gangs themselves. The SA Police cannot even protect themselves most of the time – let alone the SA population from ' routine crimes...' TELL FIFA WC2010 WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE: http://www.fifa2010.us/fifa-2010-fifa-world-cup/fifa-cape-town-world-cup-2010/
The first crime-hurdle: arrival SA's international airports:
These fans should be forewarned that, besides massive looting from their luggage, they also will be targetted by very violent, heavily-armed gangs which are moreover, armed with advance'insider information' about all their holiday-plans.... and proceed to track them down at their holiday resorts.
Censorship of crime news:
- However, from the start of 2009, much of this crime-news is not being reported by the police to the SA news media unless they have made arrests.
This was not the case in 2008 – and many reports of assaults, robberies and hijackings were reported that year. In September 2008 for instance, a group of British tourists was terrorised and two UK visitors also raped during an attack by a six-man armed gang at the Hippo Lodge, Honeydew - by gangs which had followed them from the airport. These heavily-armed black men had somehow managed to get past the lodge's electrified fence and electronic security systems. Its traumatised owner Geof Maud, pictured on the left, said the attackers tied up the UK visitors with electric wire and 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 lodge car - which they only used for a getaway because it was found abandoned at Diepsloot, the infamous squatter settlement. Frans Richter, the German owner of the nearby Heia safari ranch, also was murdered in November 2008. http://www.default.aspxtelegraaf.nl/telesport/voetbal/1990973/__Luipaard_Zakumi_mascotte_WK__.html
...and this happens to many other visitors and South Africans alike, day in, day out: SAPS crime statistics
Johannesburg airport robbery gang jailed -
In Sept 2008 the SA Police announced that they had managed to send one member of an 8-member armed gang to prison for 15 years... but this happens in only 6% of the time... most criminals are never caught. On Sept 28 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 Wynberg regional court. 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 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 a group of much younger men who made up the rest of this criminal black youth-gang: 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
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Forty families a day attacked inside their homes in SA by armed gangs:
Every day, some 40 South African families are attacked inside their homes by such heavily armed, relentless gangs. During such attacks, entire families are terrorised, often even the youngest female members are raped or sexually taunted and -assaulted, and the male homeowners often gunned down without any compunction. They also target the tourist industry with the same relentless ferocity and any policeman who gets in their way just gets gunned down by these gangs' weapons of choice: Chinese-made AK47s and South African-government-made Uzi semi-automatic machine guns...
These horrendous armed attacks against SA families were highlighed in the Belgian newsmedia on Sept 8 2008, left, but only after Kris Theunis, left, a 45-year-old trucker from Beringen county in Flanders -- a working-class man who had saved for years to visit his son in Pretoria for his 18th birthday -- was gunned down inside the Pretoria home by an armed gang while the son was hosting his birthday party with some friends. Kris Theunis, who came from the town of Heusden-Zolder, had simply been left to bleed to death after the gangsters shot the unarmed Belgian - while his son was pleading with the gunmen to call an ambulance to try and save his life.The gang’s loot: a laptop, just some cigarettes and booze. http://www.hbvl.be/limburg/beringen/man-uit-beringen-vermoord-in-zuid-afrika-2.aspx
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Wife, son of SA's World Cup 2010 roving ambassador Mark Fish robbed at gunpoint:
IIn August 2008 in Pretoria, Loui, the stunning wife of ex-footballer Mark Fish-- the roving football ambassador for the World Cup 2010 tournaments -- was robbed at gunpoint at their high-security luxury estate Mooikloof in Pretoria. The 500-home, protected security estate for the superrich prides itself on its safe system. Yet Mrs Loui Fish was held up and robbed at gunpoint inside her home together with son Luke and her assistant Dean Machison. Somehow the attackers got through this security cordon.. http://www.news24.com/Rapport/Nuus/0,,752-795_2400806,00.html http://www.news24.com/Rapport/Nuus/0,,752-795_2400806,00.html
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Krugersdorp Lion Park murder: German visitor Kurt Huppel, right, was shot dead in cold blood in front of his girl friend and her child - right amongst a 100-strong crowd of visiting families with many small children at the hugely popular Lion Park restaurant in the Krugersdorp region in Gauteng, during a massive armed robbery by a gang which pitched up in a fleet of luxury-cars. They were armed with Uzis machineguns and brand-new Chinese-made AK47s.
http://www.702.co.za/news/news.asp#94214
OTHER ATTACKS AGAINST TOURISTS in 2008 – with links:
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 warns: '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, was attacked by 3 blacks at her home: "When Gordimer refused to hand over her treasured wedding ring, one of the men simply hit the world-famous author in the face...' 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/
Pretoria: Belgian visitor, trucker Chris Theunis (44) shot dead in front of his young son in Equestria http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2008/09/belgian-trucker-chris-theunis-murder-in.html
Pretoria: SA President's residence robbed: http://groups.msn.com/crimebustersofsouthafrica/robberies.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=4754&LastModified=4675671964658594407
Pretoria: diplomats' families attacked inside their secured homes: http://groups.msn.com/crimebustersofsouthafrica/robberies.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=4510&LastModified=4675667850067367627
Pretoria: Irish priest Kieran Creagh gunned down at hospice, turns around at death's door:
http://groups.msn.com/crimebustersofsouthafrica/robberies.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=5392&LastModified=4675689292475785117
Randburg: Australian visitor missing after withdrawing cash - by October 19, 2008, he is still missing on Dec 4 2008 http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2392664,00.html
Richard'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:
- http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2142219,00.html
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2060797,00.html
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2068354,00.html - 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 attacks:
- 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 by security guard 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/
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
SOURCES: