Mugging Kayamandi, Stellenbosch this morning

[MissyT]

Their MO.

 

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/136613-kyamandi-not-safe-anymore/

[Capricorn]

In some way I feel Songo's presence in Kayamandi is a contributing factor to the problem.

Songo is creating awareness of Cycling, and Mtb'ing in particular. A number of people were empowered by the bicycles they received from Songo.

My reasoning is that there is others that are now aware of the value of the bikes, or might even want to start Mtb'ing themselves, but cannot afford it the legitimate route. Their answer to this problerm is to go and take it from the steady stream of available bikes on the R304.

 

I might be way off the mark here, but I do not think so.

 

its unavoidable and no one's fault other than that of the perps committing these crimes.

[(Deon)]

 

Firing off emails to people living in an area where snitching is taken seriously, life-threatening even, does not sound much like a solution. The concept makes perfect sense but we don't have to live there...

[nathrix]

Why don't the cycling community in that area get together and install a camera at that hotspot as suggested by MissyT? Similar to what Robert @TableMTB did. Does not help we keep on complaining to tannie Helen and the SAPS, the cycling community need to step up and do something about it themselves, unfortunately.

 

Surely it will be a very good deterrent.

[(Deon)]

Helen was involved on twitter, where did that interest go?

 

The police in hot spot areas need to be educated on the severity of bike crime. Rob, you did this quite successfully on the north side of the mountain. Until they are made aware of bike value and increased personal risk with each attack, they just see it as a stolen bike and this doesn't really ring any alarm bells.

 

Same issue here in Tokai, it was like the cops were stuck in thick molasses while several people jumped up and down trying to get them to respond. It's better now with the detectives but still not where it should be with the station staff and they are the first respondents.

[Guest Frail4Life]

Ok feeling brave.

Every time I have passed there, I saw no one.

 

Will make a point of slowing down and stopping if necessary.

['Dale]

I do a lot of work with residents and business people from Kaya Mandi and I can confirm that whilst they are most certainly not informal, they are a very tightknit community. Everyone knows everyone so I am with Rob in his approach to Songo.

 

Giving up names of criminal types can lead to a life of suffering - burning one's house down, repeated theft, etc.

Close-knit does not necessarily mean nice and sharing.

 

It is a challenge.

['Dale]

 

 

Firing off emails to people living in an area where snitching is taken seriously, life-threatening even, does not sound much like a solution. The concept makes perfect sense but we don't have to live there...

 

Merci merci

['Dale]

I ride on the centre of the solid white line when I roll there

Hopefully it helps to keep the skollie at bay

 

My Kung Fu is not so hot with my penguin shoes on

:-)

Edited July 8, 2014 by ' Dale

[pgp]

I was loading 2 bikes the other day into my car in Stellenbosch and one of those self-appointed parking attendants desperately wanted to help me. What struck me was how accurate his assessment of the value of the 2 bikes was and why. It was no guess on his side.

[straatvark]

I would be keen to know how many Songo riders was bikejacked in Kayamandi in the last 5+ years?

[nathrix]

@bicyclesafetysa

#Stellenbosch Nóg ’n Matie beroof en aangerand http://www.beeld.com...of-en-aangerand … via @Beeld_Nuus

 

....and another

 

Gang targetting Stellenbosch farms

Police have confirmed there have been at least two farm robberies in the area over the past week.

http://ewn.co.za/yr0b9

[Smurfy]

KHAYAMANDI will always remain a hotspot. Not even the so called security guard that was posted could deter the criminals. There is also a SAPS shop meters where most of the bike jacking takes place. Sorry to say but U WONT STOP IT. SAD BUT TRUE. Just stay away or ride via the R44( Cloetesville). You can even go up Devonvale hill and go down from JC Le Roux to SFW in Stellies. (ALWAYS RIDE IN GROUPS WHEN GOING PAST KHAYAMANDI) iF YOU HAVE WOMAN WITH YOU BUNCH THEM IN FOR PROTECTION. :nuke:

[Smurfy]

@bicyclesafetysa

#Stellenbosch Nóg ’n Matie beroof en aangerand http://www.beeld.com...of-en-aangerand … via @Beeld_Nuus

 

....and another

 

Gang targetting Stellenbosch farms

Police have confirmed there have been at least two farm robberies in the area over the past week.

http://ewn.co.za/yr0b9

jIP, THEY HAVE HIT THE FARMS SINCE LATE LAST YEAR. CLEVER CRIMINALS, CANT CHARGE THEM FOR ARMED ROBBERY IF NO GUNS ARE USED. SO IT IS NOT A PRIORITY CRIME. SAD BUT TRUE.

[MissyT]

Why don't the cycling community in that area get together and install a camera at that hotspot as suggested by MissyT? Similar to what Robert @TableMTB did. Does not help we keep on complaining to tannie Helen and the SAPS, the cycling community need to step up and do something about it themselves, unfortunately.

 

Surely it will be a very good deterrent.

 

I'm in. Can Robert send us the How, What, etc?

Less talk...........Let's take Action!

[kandui]

The cameras are the kind that are used to monitor or capture images of animals in the bush. they have 3 sensors which when disturbed will activate the camera. The ones I have can also be used at night as they have an invisible infrared flash. the picture quality is excellent (12mp stored on the SD card and 1,3mp images sent as MMS). You can set the camera to photo, video or both. It sends images to 2 pre-determined mobile numbers and/or email address.

The camera has a small, fold out LCD screen which allows you to check the footage and input settings. You can also plug it into your laptop and download the images in situ.

They run on 14 AA batteries or solar and can stay in the field for up to a year.

Cost, with a steel cage and solar charger: R7500 (give or take). You can buy them locally, but not all stockists have the steel cage or solar panel.

I started with 3 cameras of which one was stolen while in place on the mountain. We tracked the SIM card to UCT campus, but at that point the camera was either switched off or the SIM card removed as we lost the signal.

I now have 5 cameras again, but not all of them are out in the field at any one time.

 

I see a problem with using one of these cameras around Kayamandi, because someone will inevitably see you installing it and/or you won't be able to camouflage it enough in an urban environment. It also can't be too far off the the ground , otherwise the beam won't trigger. The beam reaches about 12m.

If you're monitoring a busy road, you need to consider the trigger gaps. If you set the camera to trigger every 5 minutes, which is reasonable, you're going to get a lot of pics of motor vehicles. Each MMS will cost you about R2 if it's sent to another network and you'll be recharging the SIM a lot. Fortunately you can recharge remotely.

 

I'll gladly loan a camera, but i would want a deposit for the replacement value.