A woman was left traumatised after two knife-wielding men accosted her and her husband while strolling on Signal Hill, which is one of the tourist attractions in Cape Town.
She said they were walking around 5.30pm on Tuesday afternoon when the assailants tried to mug them.
The victim said the two young men demanded cellphones and money.
“We hadn’t heard of incidents on Signal Hill jeep track for a while.
“On Tuesday when we were about to turn around, two young guys sitting there saw us, and they came at us,” the Tamboerskloof woman explained.
“One guy had a knife, he lunged at me and grabbed a silver choker around my neck and pushed me to the ground, and my husband started grappling with the other guy to keep him off us.
“Then the guy pulled out a knife and stabbed my husband in the shoulder.
“They then asked waar’s die goed (where is your stuff). They even made my husband take out his pockets to prove he had nothing. They backed off when they didn’t find anything.”
The couple then rushed to the nearest emergency room.
“At that time my husband was bleeding; we walked to our car and we drove to Mediclinic where he was treated.
“When the staff heard what happened, they were not shocked as they treated many patients who were attacked on Signal Hill.”
The victim said she will not go back to the mountain any time soon.
“The only thing I would go back for is to find my necklace, they probably saw that it was not worth anything, but I’m not quite ready to do that.”
The Tamboerskloof woman said she would go to the police to report the matter.
“I’m not expecting anything, I want it known that the attacks are still happening.
“We heard the City brought LEAP officers, but they can’t be on every path all the time, one of the things needed is reporting crimes to the police in an easier way and anywhere.”
SANParks spokesperson JP Louw said they were aware of the incident and appealed to the victims to report the matter to the police.
On Friday, a 50-year-old woman was walking alone on a hiking trail when she was mugged by a lone man with a knife.
He robbed her of her wedding ring, four rings with her children’s names, and a Samsung S21 Ultra.
“On Friday evening 17 January 2025 at 5.30pm, I walked on the Lion's Head/Signal Hill foothills.
“As I got to him, he looked straight at me, and in a fairly friendly voice he said, 'Can I ask you to sit down?'.
“I said ‘No’ and tried to step past him with the purpose of running away. At this point, he grabbed my left wrist quite tightly and said, ‘I am telling you to sit down!’.
“I resisted doing so, as my initial thought was that he wanted to rape me, and so I didn’t want to get into a more vulnerable physical position. He started grabbing the bracelets on my wrists but then saw my rings and told me to take them off.”
She said she gave him her belongings and after that, he ordered her to walk and run down the hill.
Take Back Our Mountains’ Taahir Osman urged the trail community to avoid hiking alone or in small groups.
“Consider organising community walking groups in your area to promote safety through numbers.
“The crime hotspots are primarily located on the lower slopes of Signal Hill, including areas such as Fresnaye, Bo Kaap, and Tamboerskloof, extending to the Pipe Track, Deer Park, and Rhode Memorial.
“The peak times for criminal activity are typically between 4:30pm and 7:30pm. We would also like to thank law enforcement for their ongoing support, even though they are not officially mandated to patrol Table Mountain.
“For updates on crime hotspots or to report any suspicious activity, please join our Table Mountain Security Alert WhatsApp group. Contact Taahir Osman at 073 624 4287 for more information.”