Cape Town danger areas

[mp321]

Why does PPA just not contract a security company in like ADT and station them at a hotspot area on weekends for example, Kayamandi, foot of helshoogte as a start. I happily pay extra on my PPA membership for that to happen. To wait for the police to action any type of plan ain’t going to happen. 

[Mamil]

Pulled the trigger on an el cheapo smartphone. I have a discovery credit card i use to run household expenses and I've loaded that on it so I have something to give these assholes. My main banking app I will leave at home.

This stuff is only going to get worse and worse in the coming years unfortunately.

I wonder what insurance would say to a claim of this nature?

[DJR]

46 minutes ago, mp321 said:

Why does PPA just not contract a security company in like ADT and station them at a hotspot area on weekends for example, Kayamandi, foot of helshoogte as a start. I happily pay extra on my PPA membership for that to happen. To wait for the police to action any type of plan ain’t going to happen. 

Policing is not a function of the PPA. Advocating for cycling safety is. So, i.m.h.o. the question should be: Why don't the PPA arrange for a massive protest at the relevant police stations?

Edit: I say, invite the downhillers also.........it will be rowdy enough to grab international attention! (Just kinda kidding all ye wild ones!)

 

Edited June 18 by DJR

[BaGearA]

39 minutes ago, Mamil said:

 

I wonder what insurance would say to a claim of this nature?

They'll say its their newest product offering ....which you aren't covered for yet 

[mp321]

Protest will help nothing and thinking the police will do anything is living in a dream world.  PPA should engage with local government and get private security at hotspots off the ground. 

[gkp]

2 hours ago, Mamil said:

Pulled the trigger on an el cheapo smartphone. I have a discovery credit card i use to run household expenses and I've loaded that on it so I have something to give these assholes. My main banking app I will leave at home.

This stuff is only going to get worse and worse in the coming years unfortunately.

I wonder what insurance would say to a claim of this nature?

Good strategy - no jewellery and cheap burner phone. In places like Tokai I doubt they will go for the bike - too tricky to carry downhill. Be sure to test your burner phone every now and then - I found mine had been blocked by the caring cellphone company due to lack of activity/possible fraudulent activity....wtf?  

[The Ouzo]

34 minutes ago, gkp said:

Good strategy - no jewellery and cheap burner phone. In places like Tokai I doubt they will go for the bike - too tricky to carry downhill. Be sure to test your burner phone every now and then - I found mine had been blocked by the caring cellphone company due to lack of activity/possible fraudulent activity....wtf?  

a few years back I bought a small little phone off One Day Only. It about twice the size of a USB stick, looks like an old Nokia. I bought it to tuck into my bibs somewhere in case of getting mugged. Except I never bothered to get a sim for it so never used it.

But its a good option to look at, cheap, basic, but usable to call for help and small enough to hide somewhere on you so that if mugged you "dont have a phone with you"

[Skubarra]

The one problem with the burner phones I have seen is the extra admin involved if you ride in groups. Often the other people in the group won't have the burner number or the person with the burner phone doesn't have the numbers of the people in the group. Burner number would also not be in the watsapp groups used to communicate. So if you/him are late for a ride or something come up during the ride there is no way to contact mr Burner phone unless he made sure everyone has his number.

[ChrisF]

On 6/18/2024 at 10:36 AM, Skubarra said:

The one problem with the burner phones I have seen is the extra admin involved if you ride in groups. Often the other people in the group won't have the burner number or the person with the burner phone doesn't have the numbers of the people in the group. Burner number would also not be in the watsapp groups used to communicate. So if you/him are late for a ride or something come up during the ride there is no way to contact mr Burner phone unless he made sure everyone has his number.

 

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.

 

 

EDIT - Had a look at the current policies of MTN regarding airtime validity time on pre-paid -

Edited June 19 by ChrisF

[Simon123]

This Franschhoek Pass thing has me going WTF!    (and the mast one, especially as I was contemplating my annual ride up in the next week or so - by myself, but the Franschhoek Pass one is WTF!).

 

This should not be a difficult sting.   Rider on comms ambling up looking fabulous (it is pride month) and then back down.  An hour later, same someone else.  Rinse repeat with cops / etc at top and bottom in plain clothes / cars that can block the road or give chase once it goes down.   

A proper sting and grabbing of these ***** very publicaly will send a message.    But will our province and police just ignore, because, hey, it's work?  If they could be hurt or bleeding afterwards, that's a bonus.

 

[Simon123]

Double post because I'm an idiot.

 

Edited June 18 by Simon123
idiot

[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 by ChrisF