River Rat Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 Klapperkop Attack this morning.This morning at 9:20 I was riding with a group of 6 cyclists in Klapperkop, we were doing laps on and off road, after the second lap one of the ladies decided to head for home leaving two ladies , two gents and myself to continue with our training session. I have not been feeling safe in the reserve for some time and I suggested that instead of splitting up as we had that we stay together for the last lap. As per usual two of the riders Pieter and Anelda were slightly quicker on the climb and were about 200m ahead of us just as I was approaching viewpoint 1. That’s when 3 males attacked the two leaders, the one stood in front of Pieter forcing him to stop while the other set off after Anelda who managed to sprint away with her assailant chasing after her. I saw what was happening to Pieter who at this stage was fending off his knife wielding attacker with his bicycle. I have no illusions about the intent of his attacker, he was trying to stab him. This was not a simple robbery this guy was trying to kill him! What Pieter did not know that there was a third attacker coming up behind him and I managed to sprint towards the third guy who immediately bolted up towards the fort, which gave me an opportunity to turn on the Knifeman who quickly decided that he was no match for Pieter and myself without his accomplices, ( Anelda had managed to outsprint her assailant who slunk off into the bushes) the knifeman headed down the mountain in the direction of Herbert Baker. The good news was that our community WhatsApp group was effective in alerting the CPF, Hi Risk and the community and the knifeman was apprehended in the reserve. The physical apprehension was performed by our heroic councillor Shaun Wilkinson DA assisted by Graham De Lange of Hi Risk.Guys I am holding the council to account on this one and I have asked Shaun Wilkinson DA to assist. I have just fired off an email to the responsible council officials demanding that they deliver on their promises for access control and patrols in the reserve. I'll keep you posted on their response
Wannabe Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 Jeesh!! This easily could have had a different outcome.Thankful you guys managed to get of without any physical injuries.
BaGearA Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 it will probably end bad for me , but I honestly would have chased the POS and beaten him into A coma. Glad everyone managed to stay safe.
River Rat Posted March 9, 2017 Author Posted March 9, 2017 it will probably end bad for me , but I honestly would have chased the POS and beaten him into A coma. Glad everyone managed to stay safe.My initial thoughts when I saw the incident unfolding in front of me was to protect my fellow rider by chasing them off. Afterwards I was quite disappointed that I was so successful, quietly sitting here and drinking a beer knowing that Pieter and Anelda are safely with their respective families I am glad that it worked out the way it did. I remain frustrated that two got away but lives first and retribution later has added a sweet taste to my lager.
bikebloke Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 well done RR pleased you all safe - unity is strength
Goblin Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 Would be interested to see what the scumbag gets charged with, attempted robbery or attempted murder.
Hairy Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 Glad to hear you guys came out of this without injury and that the thugs are under arrest!
River Rat Posted March 9, 2017 Author Posted March 9, 2017 Would be interested to see what the scumbag gets charged with, attempted robbery or attempted murder.The statement said common robbery but based on my evidence it should change to attempted murder. After all how many times do lash out with a knife before someone dies. Any case let's see how this unfolds .
River Rat Posted March 11, 2017 Author Posted March 11, 2017 Klapperkop Safety UpdateAfter this week's ordeal in the reserve I am pleased to report that the City of Tshwane have taken action. This morning there were 6 Nature Conservation employees patrolling the reserve and this will continue until the access control kicks in. The target date for this is 7th April, after this the full security plan as tabled by the Council is expected to take effect and you can expect that access to the reserve will be controlled and the reserve will be closed off after dark. I will inform you once the entry process has been finalized, this will also be explained by signage to erected at the two entry points. We can thank Thinus Prinsloo of Nature Conservation for pulling out all stops and for dealing with my rather uncompromising attitude in a professional manner to give effect to this.Of course the obvious question is whether Klapperkop is currently safe to ride or run in. Well I rode there this morning and pointed out the hotspots to the patrols. When I returned some 2 hours later they were diligent in making their presence felt at these areas. However, their current focus is on the road and viewpoints 1 and 2 in particular, which means that the off road trails are not being monitored to the same extent. It is reasonable to expect that their mere presence might deter any criminal trying their luck but there are no guaranteesFurther, these are not trained security personnel but they are effectively the eyes and ears of what is happening in the reserve. This has proven to be extremely successful in the Groenkloof reserve and I see no reason why it should not work in Klapperkop once the access control is in place. In the meantime the best I can say is that the reserve is safer than it was on Friday.On a personal note I would ask that if you do see the NC personnel in the reserve that we try and make them feel part of the community. It's not an easy task and I believe that a simple greeting and thank you will go a long way in terms of motivation
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