Police are investigating a case of attempted murder and robbery with firearm, after a US tourist, Walter Fischel was robbed of his belongings and shot in the face in Nyanga on Friday.
The Nyanga Community Police Forum (CPF) has urged law enforcement agencies to deploy increased security measures to curb the robberies and attacks on tourists ahead of the holiday season after an American was wounded in a shooting during a robbery in Nyanga.
Walter Fischel,55, reportedly used a map on his phone to navigate his way to a rental accommodation in Simons’s Town, from the airport when he was directed via Nyanga on Friday.
Nyanga CPF secretary Dumisani Qwebe described the area as a danger zone for tourists. He suspects that Fischel may have missed his turn from the airport.
“These incidents will affect our economy, because another tourist was shot and killed in the same spot during a taxi strike this year. This will make tourists afraid of going to Nyanga because it seems like they are targeted by criminals. The robberies and killings of tourists in Nyanga is alarming, I urge anyone who saw this incident to assist the police with information that might lead to the arrest of the perpetrators. We would also like the government to place crime warning boards and install cameras on the turn from the Airport to Nyanga to prevent more crime from happening,” said Qwebe.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said a case of attempted murder and robbery with a firearm was registered at Mowbray.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. The motive was robbery. He was robbed of his personal belongings, documents and clothing. He was transferred to a medical facility which falls under Mowbray Police Precinct, and will be transferred to Nyanga for further investigation. No arrest as yet and the investigation continues. Further investigation will be by the Provincial Detectives Serious and Violent Crimes,” said Van Wyk.
Cape Town Tourism said they have partnered with law enforcement for a tourism safety summit.
“We extend our deepest sympathy to him for the ordeal and are relieved he is safe. We are collaborating with local law enforcement and joining the leadership of the Joint Asset Movement Management System (JAMMS) in hosting an upcoming tourism safety summit. The summit, scheduled for next week, will bring together essential public and private stakeholders, including law enforcement and security agencies, to address critical security concerns and explore opportunities for cooperative efforts in utilising our collective resources to advance proactive security strategies,” said Cape Town Tourism.
The organisation urged travellers to be circumspect when travelling and encouraged them to be aware of their surroundings, to always ask the car hire rental agents, accommodation establishment or tour operator about areas that should be avoided.
Anyone with information relating to the incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS app.
Cape Times