Cape Town danger areas

[BuffsVintageBikes]

The authorities will need to action the Franschhoek Pass incidents asap as that little town is a tourist hot spot and the Pass gets ridden often by foreigners.

I'm guessing that's exactly why it's getting targeted as well, because the perps are expecting to hijack cyclists with a lot of money.

[Skubarra]

21 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

All my cycling buddies KNOW my "fiets-foon" only gets switched on the morning of the ride.

 

Arrangements for the ride is done on the normal phone, and the last hour they know to contact me via the pre-paid phone.

 

EASY in this era of just adding one more number to the WA group.

 

 

In terms of MTN:

- You MUST make a call every two weeks to keep the phone active.  (I now have a permanent reminder popping up on my home laptop every second Sunday)

- DATA ... this used to be a royal pain as it lapsed while the phone was switched off .... I do have a MTN contract, which allows me to set up a number of beneficiaries for DATA.  The prepaid phone now always has data, and the little bit I use makes no difference to my normal account.

 

Not sure how Vodacom and the others works with a pre-paid phone which is only used every so often.

Sure, you make the effort to do all the extra admin. Not everyone is as organised as you 😀, for those people that burner phone is just a nuisance to everyone around them.

I have mixed feelings about that idea, the guy that is mugging/attacking you doesn't know you are only carrying a burner phone so you are no less of a target than the guy next to you. I have insurance for my phone, my health & wellbeing is what I am more concerned about in that type of situation.

[ChrisF]

6 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

The authorities will need to action the Franschhoek Pass incidents asap as that little town is a tourist hot spot and the Pass gets ridden often by foreigners.

I'm guessing that's exactly why it's getting targeted as well, because the perps are expecting to hijack cyclists with a lot of money.

 

If "they" can grab cyclists "they" will target tourists at the lookout points.

 

ONE of these incidents with international tourists and it will be "big news" ....

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Good point Chris and to be honest, I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet.

[ChrisF]

11 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

Sure, you make the effort to do all the extra admin. Not everyone is as organised as you 😀, for those people that burner phone is just a nuisance to everyone around them.

I have mixed feelings about that idea, the guy that is mugging/attacking you doesn't know you are only carrying a burner phone so you are no less of a target than the guy next to you. I have insurance for my phone, my health & wellbeing is what I am more concerned about in that type of situation.

 

Hiehie ....

 

Actually this all started as I did not want to damage the "contract phone" if I fell on the MTB ....

 

Learnt the lesson with "prepaid lapsing" in Prince Albert, of all places.  Took some photos on Swartberg pass, and could not understand why I could not send it to the other phone ... Only recently stumbled upon the option to "data share" from the contract phone to the pre-paid.

 

 

Ooooo ... and it is easy to buy airtime using FNB ebucks.

 

 

With so many old phones around, most of us can do this with minimal effort.

 

 

 

EDIT - And with any luck, for a bike jacking, the perp will be just to happy to get a phone.  Thus providing a measure of safety as he "gets something", rather than not believing you dont have anything .....

 

Edited June 18, 2024 by ChrisF

[Mamil]

18 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

Sure, you make the effort to do all the extra admin. Not everyone is as organised as you 😀, for those people that burner phone is just a nuisance to everyone around them.

I have mixed feelings about that idea, the guy that is mugging/attacking you doesn't know you are only carrying a burner phone so you are no less of a target than the guy next to you. I have insurance for my phone, my health & wellbeing is what I am more concerned about in that type of situation.

I don't care about my phone at all - it's having to put my thumbprint on my banking app and make transfers from my various accounts all linked to one device to someone who has a gun at my head. 

[DJR]

Am I the only one who find it ironic that in ZA it is the honest law abiding people who have to use burner phones............elsewhere it seems to be the assassins, druglords and dodgy spies who use burner phones (I have to admit that my knowledge of this is all gained from the movies and Blacklist).

Shall we call it a mugger phone rather? 

[SoloCyclist]

Cyclist shot and killed on Botleray Road Brackenfell

https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/three-cyclists-attacked-in-less-than-48-hours-over-the-weekend-7ca55981-56a3-46de-8ffa-1708684470b2

[ChrisF]

4 minutes ago, SoloCyclist said:

Cyclist shot and killed on Botleray Road Brackenfell

https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/three-cyclists-attacked-in-less-than-48-hours-over-the-weekend-7ca55981-56a3-46de-8ffa-1708684470b2

 

Not many people cycling at 7:35 PM .... certainly not in winter

 

Wonder what the full story is here ....

[Skubarra]

46 minutes ago, Mamil said:

I don't care about my phone at all - it's having to put my thumbprint on my banking app and make transfers from my various accounts all linked to one device to someone who has a gun at my head. 

And if the thug with the gun at your head can't get what he wants he is just going to shrug and walk away, at worst maybe shake your hand and congratulate you for outsmarting him?

[The Ouzo]

1 minute ago, Skubarra said:

And if the thug with the gun at your head can't get what he wants he is just going to shrug and walk away, at worst maybe shake your hand and congratulate you for outsmarting him?

actually come to think of it, maybe I SHOULD carry my smart phone, when they look at the negative balances in my banking app they'll feel so sorry for me they might GIVE me money instead.  

[Mamil]

Just now, Skubarra said:

And if the thug with the gun at your head can't get what he wants he is just going to shrug and walk away, at worst maybe shake your hand and congratulate you for outsmarting him?

That's why I have a minor household account linked to the phone - he'll get something for his efforts but giving him access to my business account, personal account, bond etcetera via my main bank's app isn't going to happen. And if he decides he has to shoot me because he's getting a smaller haul than he might have had, then he was probably going to shoot me anyway.

[Bonus]

wait til your wife finds the burner phone and the questions begin . . . .  🙂

[Mook]

1 hour ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

Good point Chris and to be honest, I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet.

Tourists wear sandals with white socks, and talk funny ....................... AND they never tour alone. We should be raving about how beautiful Cape Town mornings are this time of year - not this type of shite.

Where is this world heading 😵

[mikkelz]

I've emailed everyone under the sun who I think may have a chance of doing something about the crazy Franschhoek situation.

I hope you all do the same. Only posting here is not going to make a difference.

Edited June 18, 2024 by mikkelz

[bjnortier]

On 6/17/2024 at 12:13 PM, LazyTrailRider said:

Anyone have any more info about this?

Yea that was me.

3 guys with knives jumped going up to the Mast in Tokai. One was in road walking up and turned and charged me with knife and tow others jumped from the bushes on the side. It was on the tar section about 1/4 on the way up.

I tried to turn and fell then they were on me, took my phone, Garmin and Varia, tools, Gilet and arm warmers I had stuffed in my pockets. Kept saying they wanted money but had nothing on me.

They slashed my tyres then ran off on the hiking trail back down to Imizamo Yethu.