http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/09/wmount09.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/05/09/ixworld.html
Tourists targeted on Table Mountain
By Christopher Munnion in Johannesburg
(Filed: 09/05/2005)
Security patrols are being stepped up on Cape Town's Table Mountain
following a sharp increase in attacks on hikers and sightseers on the
spectacular walking trails that wind around one of South Africa's top
tourist attractions.
Foreign visitors, some from Britain, Germany, Austria and Japan, have
been the victims of muggers and rapists lurking in the rocks, forests
and shrubs that abound along the 60 miles of paths in the area.
Tourist authorities have joined with the city council, hiking
organisations and the police in increasing patrols on the trails and
security at the main access points.
"With every attack on the mountain, security is heightened," said
Fiona Kalk of the Table Mountain national park board. "But because
access to the mountain cannot be restricted, the criminals just move
to another sector."
One of the first foreign visitors to be attacked was Monika
Hoeglsperger, 31, from Germany. She had planned to spend the day
mountain biking in the area but first strolled along the Platteklip
Gorge, a well-known beauty spot. She returned to the car park to find
her bicycle missing.
A man said he knew who had taken it and offered to lead her to the
thieves. She followed him back into the gorge where he pulled out a
knife, stabbed her in the stomach and raped her.
Mika Matsuura, 30, a Japanese tourist, was dragged off a path in the
same area by two men and raped. The same week, a British doctor
walking on Signal Hill was chased by two men wielding knives.
He escaped by running down a steep slope but returned to a car park to
find his vehicle had been stolen.
Several men have been arrested and appeared in court in connection
with some of the incidents but, according to the police, criminals are
still active on and around Table Mountain.
"These gangs and individuals target foreign tourists in particular,
hoping that they will be carrying more items of value than local
people," said a police spokesman.
"The foreign visitors are often carried away with the beauty of the
area and regard it to be as peaceful as it looks. But they should take
the same precautions as they would do in any other city."
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