A TEENAGE girl (15) from Klerksdrop was held at knifepoint by a brazen robber between Manaba beach and Margate beach last Saturday morning.
The girl was walking along the beach at about 6am with her father about 100 metres behind her. A man armed with a knife came out of the bushes and grabbed Wilanie van Rensburg and pushed her to the ground.
“He then threatened my daughter with a knife and took her cellphone,” said her father Willie. “He appeared, seemingly from nowhere and held my daughter at knifepoint. I was too far from her and by the time I ran towards her he had fled into the bushes,” said Mr van Rensburg.
He added that he and his family will no longer visit Margate for the holidays. “We love this place, the people and the beach. But when crime affects you and most especially your children, one tends not to return,” said Mr van Rensburg. The Van Rensburg family left on Sunday, having been on holiday for a week.
Police spokesman, Captain Gerald Mfeka, confirmed the incident and said a case of robbery had been opened at Margate police station. “Most contact crimes are committed on the vulnerable and defenceless by opportunistic criminals, therefore, we have to harden the target and not give criminals any opportunity to prey on us,” he said.
He offered the following tips:
* Do not carry large sums of money.
* Don’t wear expensive jewellery or carry valuables when venturing into deserted, isolated areas like the beach, parks or even crowded streets near a taxi rank, where muggings or ‘snatch and grabs’ are likely to take place.
* When on holiday, it is advisable to lock away valuables in safes provided at hotels and lodges.
* A criminal is less likely to attack or rob a large group of people, especially if there are men present.
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