Attempted bike jacking - Helshoogte, Stellenbosch

[Bonus]

 

Next thing I know, a guy (looked like he was on tik or something) was standing next to the big pine trees at the T, with rocks in both hands, already holding another MTB'er ransom. 

 

 

 

In a situation like this, would you "get involved" or not?

[Max Headroom]

What Christie said.

 

You can skip the R44. Take R101, left onto Elsenburg Road. Over railway crossing, right to the train station. Take the service road along side the railway line until you get to Kromme Rhee road. Take a right there and at traffic light cross over onto Bottelary Road, left at the traffic circle. Up and over Devon Valley onto Adam Tas into Stellenbosch.

 

There is currently road works on Devon Valley road with stop and goes. I commute there daily, just use the closed off side to ride. Adam Tas can be very busy but the traffic is generally slow moving. The traffic should be much better in December.

 

 

RE : Take the service road along side the railway line until you get to Kromme Rhee road.

 

Often ride this - but currently not alone. Too isolated, suspect pedestrians and no room for escape.

[Max Headroom]

In a situation like this, would you "get involved" or not?

 

Yes - Rocks not as serious as knives/guns etc. as long as you see the attacker (i.e. not taken by complete surprise (like a friend of mine who was hit in the face with a brick)

I would try using bike as protection - and ideally finding some rocks myself. One-on-One with rocks is an option if you can help the other 'captive' rider.

[nathrix]

 

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

1 hour ago, nathrix said:

 

Everything burned down in the jobless/low-income areas. And winter is around the corner it seems(given the weather changes) some people need blankets some need dagga to stay warm.

 

Both cost Mula.

 

They must aquire money to replace the things they aquired before the fire. (Generalizing) 

 

They don't do it by working in anyone's garden because there are just that many gardens to work in.

Overpopulation, lack of job opportunities the way of life

 

Just unfortunate that every now and then someones kid goes for a afternoon ride and never comes home because of these factors. 

 

Any solutions ? 

[Murrob]

A thought I have regularly whenever I see the news reports of robberies/hijacks of cyclists. Where is CSA and PPA in all of this? Is it not in ambit of these organisations to try and liaise with relevant stakeholder's, help fund/fund raise to fund for private security efforts to patrol and provide assistance to saps, rapid response to assist in hotspots etc etc. I for one would be happy to donate to such actions to try see if we can at least push back a bit for all our sakes. 

[throttles]

17 minutes ago, Murrob said:

A thought I have regularly whenever I see the news reports of robberies/hijacks of cyclists. Where is CSA and PPA in all of this? Is it not in ambit of these organisations to try and liaise with relevant stakeholder's, help fund/fund raise to fund for private security efforts to patrol and provide assistance to saps, rapid response to assist in hotspots etc etc. I for one would be happy to donate to such actions to try see if we can at least push back a bit for all our sakes. 

Some of the areas in the southern suburbs have “panic buttons” on cycling and running routes linked to the predominant armed response/neighborhood watch for that area. Works well if and when well monitored. 
 

hellshoogte would be a great candidate for such an initiative, but it comes down to the residents to request it via the armed response/neighborhood watch once they agree they need to lobby and get the councilor to motivate for the approval for the infrastructure to be put in place. Could be a long and dramatic exercise. 
 

short answer would be “panic button apps” like ADT had snd “Namola?”. But those are subscription based per user and afaik not taken up by too many cyclists. (At least not from my cycling circle)

Awareness and visibility of policing will help until the perps learn the routine.

cant ride with a weapon coz that just makes the situation escalate even quicker and become more risky.

[Titleist]

10 hours ago, Murrob said:

A thought I have regularly whenever I see the news reports of robberies/hijacks of cyclists. Where is CSA and PPA in all of this? Is it not in ambit of these organisations to try and liaise with relevant stakeholder's, help fund/fund raise to fund for private security efforts to patrol and provide assistance to saps, rapid response to assist in hotspots etc etc. I for one would be happy to donate to such actions to try see if we can at least push back a bit for all our sakes. 

It’s not their job to protect cyclists. The police is supposed to do it.

[Johnny82]

Got this on one of my Whatsapp groups last night:

10 April 2024 at approximately 18:40 two cyclists’ cycle on the Helshoogte road between Niel Ellis and The Ridge, direction The Ridge. The front cyclist spotted 2 c/m that looks very suspicious. The one suspect then took out a firearm and cocked it. The cyclist immediately turned around and warned the other cyclist to also turn around and they then sped off in the direction of Niel Ellis. The suspects then also disappeared into the veld next to the road.
Description of the suspects:
2 x c/m one armed with a firearm.
The one suspect was wearing a red and black beanie with a red and black long-sleeved top.
The other suspect was wearing a red and black beanie mostly red.
Please be vigilant in the area.
 

[betaboy]

Our wonderful cycling federation needs to pull finger and approach the Ministry of sport and corruption, and ask for some intervention! Runners and Riders Unite!Viva viva.

[Murrob]

3 hours ago, Titleist said:

It’s not their job to protect cyclists. The police is supposed to do it.

Unfortunately, even with a proper functioning SAPS (which it’s not). It is impossible for any police service to protect citizens, there just simply is not enough police officers. In SA in particular, it’s only going to be a combination of community police forums, private security and ordinary citizens that can make any kind of difference. In Gauteng the private security guys really seem to enjoy setting up a good sting operation. Also I suspect if we are talking about Helshoogte specifically, the attackers are hiding or even living in the bush there. So maybe some nature conservation patrols to find where they are and get them out. Police need to crack who is buying these bikes and kit though. Must be well known buyer in the community as Stellenbosch does seem to have a significant bike theft problem. But is there willingness/capacity to do this? Probably not, hence asking where PPA and CSA is in this, to apply pressure to stakeholders, perhaps we can get another super effective arrive alive convoy through Stellenbosch with police escorts like they did in Wellington not so long ago…

[ChrisF]

14 hours ago, throttles said:

Some of the areas in the southern suburbs have “panic buttons” on cycling and running routes linked to the predominant armed response/neighborhood watch for that area. Works well if and when well monitored. 
 

hellshoogte would be a great candidate for such an initiative, but it comes down to the residents to request it via the armed response/neighborhood watch once they agree they need to lobby and get the councilor to motivate for the approval for the infrastructure to be put in place. Could be a long and dramatic exercise. 
 

short answer would be “panic button apps” like ADT had snd “Namola?”. But those are subscription based per user and afaik not taken up by too many cyclists. (At least not from my cycling circle)

Awareness and visibility of policing will help until the perps learn the routine.

cant ride with a weapon coz that just makes the situation escalate even quicker and become more risky.

 

There are two very active WA groups for Stellenbosch, linked to Stellenbosch University Campus Control.

 

Easy to get the message out of an incident .... by which time the perps have jumped over the railing and dissapeared ....

 

A more pro-active approach is needed.

[Jakkals.]

44 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

There are two very active WA groups for Stellenbosch, linked to Stellenbosch University Campus Control.

 

Easy to get the message out of an incident .... by which time the perps have jumped over the railing and dissapeared ....

 

A more pro-active approach is needed.

Ons wag hulle in. 

[throttles]

9 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

There are two very active WA groups for Stellenbosch, linked to Stellenbosch University Campus Control.

 

Easy to get the message out of an incident .... by which time the perps have jumped over the railing and dissapeared ....

 

A more pro-active approach is needed.

So I’m from the soufern suburbs, but ride that side probably 12-15 times per year. We typically ride in a group of 5 or more riders. We are not on the WhatsApp group.

we’ve seen many dodgy people walking about but haven’t had any dodgy experiences yet. Our approach is to as soon as one is spotted we shout loud for everyone including the perp/s to hear that we note their presence.

eg. Watch this guy on left with red on the left, or this group walking looks dodgy.

Edited April 12 by throttles
English not englishing 🫣

[OVERDRIVE]

Man its dangerous out there. 

[mikkelz]

22 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

There are two very active WA groups for Stellenbosch, linked to Stellenbosch University Campus Control.

 

Easy to get the message out of an incident .... by which time the perps have jumped over the railing and dissapeared ....

 

A more pro-active approach is needed.

How does one join these groups? 🙏