River Rat

Listening to the President's announcement it is clear why this event was cancelled. Remember the quote "in consultation with government" now we know how that went down. Just imagine if it was cancelled after the first stage.

I wonder if social distancing on the ride might not mitigate the risk. No slip streaming and watch that snot rocket.

Thinking about it the Cape Epic is a bit like a landlocked cruise ship with similar shared facilities and possibly worse if you consider shared toilets and showers. Looking at the rate of the virus being spread on a cruise ship added to the fact that a large number of competitors come from Europe which is currently being considered the epicentre of the pandemic, cancelling the event was the only option. That does not make the pain that is being felt by those getting ready to register yesterday any less.

Tough choice but it is the right one. I feel for all those that trained hard, got their bikes sorted and were chomping at the bit to just get going. Saying there's always next year is not going to ease the pain.

Ranger just chilling at the night market.

We are a bit wary of the mismanagement by SAPS so I'll PM you the contact details of the guy that did the citizens arrest he is trying to coordinate the ID parade to make sure it happens.

Just a correction it is one suspect in custody and he is the kingpin. We need to put this guy away so please if you or someone you know has been attacked and you have opened a case please contact me so that we can get you to an ID parade. This guy has already been released twice because witnesses don't come forward. I can't stress how frustrating it is to everyone involved when we catch the perpetrators and we can't follow through with prosecutions.

Seems like we have a gang of four operating. CSI Security have offered to patrol the area so we will catch the other two soon enough.

Some good news the suspects have been located and are under arrest. What we need now is for any recent victims to contact me so that we can facilitate the ID parade.

We forget how short our time is with our furry companions today they're cute and cuddly, tomorrow their characters make us laugh or despair, eventually they become our faithful protectors and companions, their twilight years are filled with simple love and respect. Enjoy the journey it's worth it every time.

Sadly these guys were released by SAPS Sunnyside before we could hold an ID parade. I am not going to let this go.

Saffers don't miss a beat!

I would suggest that you will most likely find a clause in a Pros contract enforcing this type of behaviour, I not sure if the penalty for non compliance is a broken arm though.

If the rangers involved are found guilty of GBH that would amount to committing a crime whilst on duty. That would equate to an immediate dismissal and if I was SANPARKS I might be tempted to charge them accordingly.

This but for the actions of these stupid rangers could have been the theme of this thread but instead it's their jobs that are on the line. It just goes to show how this macho approach doesn't work.

Agreed.

So why do we have to keep saying it?

The two hardly comparable we might be interested in a Pro being caught for riding roque but the rest of the world would not be bothered. What we have now is someone who may or may not have ridden roque is not the story but the breaking of his arm is the story. The first is a minor offence the second is criminal totally different rules.

I expect a lawsuit against SANPARKS for injury, loss of income etc which you and I will pay for if successful.

The part where you suggest that holding these guys accountable for their behaviour is risky because if they get fired they'll come back as well informed muggers. Now that is sensationalism at it's best and your logic means we should never fire anybody for wrongdoing because they could do more damage hence the Zuma example, he effectively held the country to ransom. You might be happy with a soft approach to this but I am not. As a matter of interest the SANPARKS rangers that I speak to (albeit up here in the north) are not impressed with these guys because it reflects badly on them. One commented that they treat suspected poachers with more respect than what was shown to Nic. I can attest to that as we were apprehended on a game walk in the north of KNP when the anti poaching unit were unaware that we would be in the area. They calmly disarmed our guides, removed our backpacks and sat us down in the shade while they contacted base to verify who we were. Once it was all done and dusted they joined us for part of the hike and we joined them for a beer the next day at the end of hike. My lasting impression is that of professional and dedicated people, which can't be said of this lot if the video is anything to go by.

But the logic would suggest we should keep Zuma in government.

And you don't think your post is somewhat over the top?

That would amount to witness coaching so I doubt that they did that, but to your point it is highly unlikely that Nic was totally innocent in this saga. But the ranger's conduct will be judged against that of a reasonable man and that's where all their arguments fall down.

If you look at the evidence as reported and in the video this what we know, Nic was pulled off his bike because the SANPARKS officials were told that he did not pay. They had no idea at the time whether he had a permit or not but they decided that pulling him off his bike was justified regardless of any injury that could have been caused (strike one). They then decide he has to be forcefully apprehended which is evident in the video, I can't see any reason why any force was necessary, they could have just loaded his bike into the bakkie and said sir you need to accompany us to the office (strike two). Then there was the ranger aggressively trying to stop the person filming the incident to the point that person feared for his own safety, I would love to know which park rule was being applied there (strike three). Now I have the pleasure of working with a number of SANPARKS rangers in our parks and they will be appalled at this incident. Their primary focus is the sustainability of human interaction with nature, but when given the choice they will protect human life. It creates conflict but the protocol is that if human life is threatened you take the animal out even if it is an endangered species. I expect that this event will not sit well with SANPARKS as a whole and I can't see these officials keeping their jobs as their standards are way higher than this.

Why do you believe that this would not result in the same overreaction you described earlier?