Table Mountain Warning

[Dirt Tracker]

A release from the Mountain Club to all users fo Table Mountain. While angled at hikers it has relevance to all users especially for the Newlands Forest, Rhodes, Signal Hill areas. 

Mountain Club SA (Cape Town section) WARNING, OCT '18

The General Committee of the Mountain Club of South Africa (Cape Town Section) regrets to advise members of the increasing possible threats to their personal safety while hiking and climbing in and around the Table Mountain National Park, and elsewhere.

WARNING: Regarding violent crime on Table Mountain and Peninsula hiking areas

The Club urges members to exercise caution when planning hiking routes. There are currently very few areas that can be considered completely safe, and you are advised to be aware of areas that have seen a recent escalation in crime.

The recent series of assaults on trail runners & hikers on the Saddle at the top of Newlands Ravine, as well as on walkers, hikers, runners and cyclists in Newlands forest, represent a significant shift in the level of violence involved, unfortunately similar to that of the tragic attacks in the Kalk Bay and Karbonkelberg areas earlier this year.    

The MCSA (Cape Town Section) is integrally involved with the Table Mountain Security Action Group (TMSAG), an initiative involving over forty mountain user groups, neighbourhood watches and security associations, who are pursuing positive actions behind the scenes to combat these hazards in very difficult circumstances.

The TMSAG is actively lobbying ALL the authorities to come up with a meaningful plan to protect mountain users – locals, visitors and tourists alike – and to apprehend those who would threaten us in what should be a safe and peaceful environment.

High-risk areas
Newlands Forest in its entirety, Newlands Ravine, the Saddle behind Devil’s Peak, the slopes of Devil’s Peak, the Blockhouses and nearby mountain biking trails. All these areas have seen several assaults recently, and while some of the perpetrators have, of late, been apprehended, others remain at large. There are also reports of people living there, hence the increased risks.

Other areas considered to pose a risk to safety
Signal Hill and Lion’s Head, Noordhoek & Kommetjie Beach, Sandy Bay & Karbonkelberg, Vlakkenberg, Blackburn Ravine, Elephant’s Eye, Kleinplaas Dam area, Black Hill and Red Hill, Slangkop, Peer’s Cave and Sunrise Beach.

Safer areas
Currently these include Silvermine East and the Kalk Bay mountains, where there have been fewer reports of incidents of late, while Cape Point, Silvermine West, the Back Table, Orange Kloof and the Apostles remain relatively crime-free at the present time.

Vehicle break-ins
A significant increase in the number of vehicle break-ins is occurring at the end of Tafelberg Road, at the Rhodes Memorial parking areas and on Signal Hill Road.

Mountain users should remember that crime shifts in response to increased security in an area pushing the perpetrators to somewhere else. It is unlikely that the Table Mountain National Park will ever be totally crime free..

The best thing you can do is to be aware, keep hiking and look after your own safety.

SAFETY STRATEGIES

1. Hike in a group. While this does not preclude being attacked, it may serve as a deterrent.
2. Be aware of potential threats. The suddenness of an attack leads to panic, which may exacerbate the situation. An alert, obviously aware group, poses a harder target.
3. If attacked, it is advisable NOT to resist. Handing over your “valuables” decreases the chances of being harmed (although unfortunately, this is not always the case).
4. In the event that you can see that an attack is imminent, hide your cellphone in the vegetation or rocks, so that you are able to summon help much faster afterwards.
5. Keep the emergency contact numbers on your phones. Check that all members of the party have these numbers. Also keep those numbers somewhere on your person.
6. Keep a look out on social media for the various ‘Safe Hikes’ and ‘Take Back Our Mountain’ initiatives, in which the MCSA is an active participant, and lend your support. These are proving to be highly successful.  

 
Emergency numbers (for crime or accident situations)

021 937 0300
Metro Emergency Medical Services, who will activate Mountain Rescue, and have the ability to escalate your call to all relevant agencies.

021 480 7700
Public Emergency Communication Centre, which is central control for reporting crime, on the mountain or anywhere else.

These control centres can easily communicate with each other and all emergency services, and are currently your best options.

It is utterly unacceptable that we are forced to endure the threat of violence while enjoying our mountains and beaches. The MCSA is striving, along with many other mountain user groups, to do whatever we can to combat crime, keep up pressure on the authorities, and to work towards evolving solutions to improve safety.

The MCSA (Cape Town Section)
11 October 2018

[Eddy Gordo]

So sad, no one is free

[MTBeer]

CT is slowly turning into the shthole that the rest of the country already is. It will get worse before it gets better.

[gogo@]

Have thought of moving back to CT plenty, but, no. The rest of the country is not all a “shthole”. Yeah we have potholes and stuff but I can ride all over, straight out my back (or front) door, without these kinds of worries.

[OneLove]

My favourite training route  

[tinmug]

Thanks for posting that Dirt Tracker.

 

Sobering.

 

Edit: would be interesting to build a wooden house (i.e. temporary) on the slopes of Devil's Peak, then ask the prosecutor why others are tolerated. 

[Titleist]

And the City is becoming more and more useless at keeping law and order. They'll rather set up speed traps than remove the squatters next to the N1 between Plattekloof and Durban Road who's been living there for 3 months already.

[Dirt Tracker]

It's a worry, especially if Newlands is being targeted as that is very busy most of the time. I think it has rot be taken in context though. Wary, yes but doom and gloom, no. I ride there a lot and have always ridden alone. I've never encountered anyone other than walkers, riders and a fair few times the dog patrol team in full combat / protective gear and a fracking massive hound. 

 

I'll keep riding those areas, will keep it in the back of my mind but firmly believe that more people on the mountain will help the issue. 

[Stevief]

This situation is a joke.  I get stopped all the time on the mountain by patrols asking me for my access card.  After chatting to these guys they cannot do anything about it as they dont have weapons, or dirtbikes or mtb.  So what they going to do?  All the money we pay for these "cards" just ends up in Pretoria.   Surely with all the unemployment in the country they can put more guys on patrol and equip them properly??  The mountain is a major tourist attraction for locals and international tourists as well as a park for the locals.

 

Every day i ride i see more and more dodgy people and litter etc.  I left JHB 15 years ago and now its caught up with me.  FFS we really are frogs in the slow boil pot.

[tinmug]

@Stevief, exactly.

 

Funny how during the SWC there was a bobby on every street corner. No idea where they came from, but it was nice to feel safe for a few weeks.

 

Also a kick in the teeth for the tax/rate payers who have to live there for the rest of eternity. Oh, and remind me what the municipal managers earn per annum?

 

[Meezo]

It's a worry, especially if Newlands is being targeted as that is very busy most of the time. I think it has rot be taken in context though. Wary, yes but doom and gloom, no. I ride there a lot and have always ridden alone. I've never encountered anyone other than walkers, riders and a fair few times the dog patrol team in full combat / protective gear and a fracking massive hound. 

 

I'll keep riding those areas, will keep it in the back of my mind but firmly believe that more people on the mountain will help the issue. 

 

 

been saying this for years, i'm fortunate enough to have table mountain as my daily commute, so 5 days a week almost everyday of the year. in the last 6-7years of riding i've seen about 3-4 dodgy okes.

 

what i really love is too see how many dog walkers and runners some times solo are on the mountain, like myself i do often find myself alone, but it makes you feel safe if there's 5-6 others also alone.

[Chingy182]

I started about a month ago doing a night ride after work on a Thursday/Friday from town to the Blockhouse on Table mountain with a buddy.

 

It's refreshing to see so many runners, cyclists, dog walkers or even just girls walking there solo.

I haven't felt any threat thus far, albeit I've only ridden there 5-6 times.

 

I get rather paranoid at these sort of things and I've often wondered that we would be sitting ducks on our bikes if someone did decide to ambush us.

 

I'll keep riding for now, be vigilant and hope for the best.

I agree that being out there in numbers is our best means of defense.

[Chingy182]

been saying this for years, i'm fortunate enough to have table mountain as my daily commute, so 5 days a week almost everyday of the year. in the last 6-7years of riding i've seen about 3-4 dodgy okes.

 

what i really love is too see how many dog walkers and runners some times solo are on the mountain, like myself i do often find myself alone, but it makes you feel safe if there's 5-6 others also alone.

I feel like perceived safety to me is a numbers game.

Let me explain:

 

You must have ridden over Table mountain over 2000 times in your 5-6 years of commuting with 4 dodgy okes you've come across. I'll give that a 1/500 odds (and still no real danger to you)

 

I came upon this thought while having a beer with a friend and he said how Sh!t scared he is to drive along Tiekiedraai in Durbanville area after dark as, apparently, there were a few hijackings in recent times.

 

I must have driven my car or bike through this section atleast 1000 times and have never felt unsafe, thus my perceived safety of this area is 100% safe.

 

But on the flip side, I have never cycled around Rhodes Memorial, Red Hill or Black Hill.

I've heard of quite a few incidents around those areas, thus my perceived safety for these areas is 0% safe... Somebody who cycles here might have a different opinion.