2 US tourists robbed in Polokwane

Two backpackers from Denver, Colorado in the US say they will remember their trip to Polokwane as a nightmare after they were the victims of a robbery in Schoeman Street on Saturday.

Lisa Quinn and her best friend Amberlynn Rose, decided to spend their summer holiday visiting South Africa’s nine provinces and their capital cities.

The two friends wanted to make a quick stop in Polokwane to looking at all the shops before heading out to the Polokwane Nature Reserve and the Protea Hotel Ranch Resort for a walk with wildlife.

They were making their way down Schoeman Street when Amberlynn remarked that they were being followed by three men.

Lisa said she saw the men who Amberlynn pointed out to her. “We started walking from the one side of the street to the other when the men approached us in the middle of the street and, before I even knew what was happening, two of the men grabbed my arm and took my watch while the other grabbed hold of the golden chain that was on Lisa’s neck.

“We were speechless and very traumatised, but made our way out of the city centre immediately,” Lisa said.

According to one of the woman selling vegetables in Schoeman Street, who does not wish to be named, the thieves target women like these who look as if they are not from the city and are therefore not familiar with it.

Polokwane police spokesperson WO Lesiba Ramoshaba said he was not aware of the incident and urged the public to report such incidents. He said it was important that victims tried to remember as much detail as possible of their attackers.

“Information like what clothing they were wearing and a description of their features could assist the police to catch them. The police and the community should take hands in the fight against crime and by being vigilant and aware residents help themselves as well as the police,” he said.

Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) spokesperson, Mike Tauatsoala, said it was very unfortunate that this incident had occurred and the LTA urged the community to assist tourists when they visited the city.

“The community should look after these people as their own and assist them as far as possible. They bring much-needed finances to the province, assist in building the local eco-nomy and, in many cases, help create jobs for local people,” he said.