Cape Town - Police are looking for information that might lead to the arrest of a man identified as being associated with incidents of robbery targeting tourists in the Bo-Kaap area.
The latest incident, which involved a 28-year-old South Korean woman, was caught on the victim’s cellphone while she was shooting a selfie video and the assailant accosted her.
The 42-second clip was recorded while the tourist was walking down Chiappini Street, and clearly captured the man attacking her from behind.
The man can be seen choking the woman while trying to snatch her cellphone. As the woman screamed for help, a man appeared and rescued her, while the perpetrator ran away.
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said the City was trying to verify the authenticity of the video.
“Together with Cape Town SAPS detectives, members from Law Enforcement began following up leads and searching for the suspect, a homeless person who had since vacated his fixed residence in Bonteheuwel and had taken up residence in one of the tented camps in the Bo-Kaap area.
He said the victim was located shortly before departing from South Africa and agreed to make a case.
“A warrant has since been issued for the alleged attacker and the City is supporting SAPS in the tracing of the suspect, who is currently evading the police,” added Smith.
According to the Bo-Kaap Neighbourhood Watch (NHW), the perpetrator was identified as one of the “car guards” in Wale Street. His targets are said to be women and older people.
Bo-Kaap NHW chairperson Ebrahim Christian said there were “a lot of these criminals along Wale Street, pretending to be car guards”.
Christian said the tourists were partly to blame for navigating the area with their devices and equipment exposed, without guides.
“She was fortunate she was not stabbed or harmed, as these criminals become aggressive when they do not get what they want,” he said.
Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association chairperson Osman Shaboodien said such incidents would have repercussions on tourism if no crime prevention measures were put in place, such as visible patrols and signage.
“The action must be condemned, and we ask the police to act swiftly to apprehend the perpetrator. The community will be meeting to discuss this serious incident,” he said.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said Cape Town Central police station had opened an attempted robbery case for investigation after the incident. Potjie said reports received were that nothing was taken from the tourist, who was also not injured.
Anyone with information about the incident is requested to call Crime Stop anonymously on 08600 10111 or Cape Town Central SAPS.