On the cusp of an unforgettable international sporting weekend, South Africa appears unable to shake the global perception that it is a haven for criminals.
Four British rugby fans on Saturday told how they were beaten up and robbed by armed thugs in South Africa shortly after their arrival on the same night that the Egyptian side in a key football tournament became the victims of thieves.
On Thursday night, fresh from their stunning Confederations Cup triumph over Italy, the victorious Egyptians found their five hotel rooms had been broken into and several thousand dollars stolen.
Earlier that evening, four British tourists had arrived at OR Tambo International Airport for the British and Irish Lions tour.
In an interview published by the Saturday Star, the men said the robbers had followed them as they drove to a guesthouse in the plush northern Johannesburg suburb of Sandton where they were due to check in. They were followed to where they were staying the night, then beaten up and robbed.
Ten days ago, the SA Police Service had said sports fans need not fear for their safety when they were in the country.
But the lawbreakers who followed and attacked two sets of brothers Michael, 57, and Peter Harriott, 58, and Simon 57, and John Murphy, 52, are still roaming free.
The four men from Kent, England – who flew in from London – were hijacked on their way from OR Tambo. After hiring a car with a GPS navigation system, the four headed off to Duxberry in Sandton, where they had booked at a bed and breakfast.
“The navigation system gave us problems and it took us through Ellis Park, where a Confederations Cup game was being played.
“We got lost and arrived very late at the bed and breakfast in Duxberry. The front entrance had been closed and we had to use an alternative entrance,” said Michael Harriott.
The tourists said they noticed they were being followed as they made their way to the back entrance.
“A black Mercedes-Benz boxed us in and four men appeared with guns. They surrounded our car. They ordered us out of the car and told us to lie on the floor and remove our wallets and watches.”
He tried to grab one of the robbers’ guns but was punched in the nose.
“They threw me to the ground and, the next thing, one of the robbers got into our hired car, while the other three jumped in theirs. They sped off with our luggage.”
That same night, several players from the Egyptian football team returned from their 1-0 victory over Italy at the Confederations Cup in Johannesburg to find that their hotel rooms had been ransacked.
The Saturday Star reported that five rooms at the players' luxury hotel Wanderers in Illovo, Johannesburg, near Sandton, had been robbed and that thieves had made off with several thousand dollars.
Team officials have reported the theft to the police and Fifa has confirmed the robbery.
The incident will be an embarrassment to the South African authorities who are keen to play down crime concerns surrounding the nation’s hosting of 2010 World Cup.
The Confederations Cup, where Brazil and Spain are among the other teams competing, is seen as a dry run for next year’s big event.
The local organising committee is already facing criticism over the transport facilities for the eight-nation tournament.
Some spectators have arrived late at matches because of delays at the park and ride facilities near the stadia.
Fifa President Sepp Blatter has also expressed concern about the number of empty seats at some of the games.
The World Cup organisers insist the “teething problems” experienced during the Confederations Cup will be corrected by 2010.
South Africa's reputation as a hotspot for petty and violent crime has left many question marks as it prepares to host the 2010 football World Cup. Authorities, however, say football fans will be safe.
Last week, one of the new stadiums built for the World Cup was attacked by five armed robbers after an international rugby game.
The robbery at the sports bar of the new Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in the southern city of Port Elizabeth took place on Tuesday afternoon, after a game between the British and Irish Lions and the provincial Southern Kings side.
South Africa, which has one of the worst murder rates in the world with at least 50 people being killed a day, plans to beef up police numbers and training for the World Cup by investing in high-tech equipment and crime-busting surveillance to combat crime as well as any threats from hooligans and terrorists.
Danny Jordaan, the head of the local organising committee, has previously said that $138 million has been committed to increase the police force in South Africa for the World Cup.
Related - FIFA trusts SA security
0 comments:
Post a Comment