Armed gang holds up party guests

Another armed robbery in Constantia Hills has brought to 11 the number of armed robberies or attempted armed robberies along the Constantia green belt in the past two weeks.

On Wednesday, the Cape Argus reported that the green belt, a stretch of public open space between the Alphen Hotel and Rhodes Drive at Cecilia Forest, had become a hiding place for criminals operating in Constantia, Diep River, Bergvliet, Meadowridge and Plumstead.

In the latest incident, at 11.45pm on Wednesday, four men held up the hosts and guests at a party in Squirrel Close, Constantia Hills.

The suspects, of whom three were armed, climbed over a gate to gain entry to the home.

Everyone inside the house was made to lie on the floor while the robbers took cellphones, laptops, TVs, jewellery and other valuables. The suspects left in a double cab bakkie belonging to one of the guests.

Inspector Rodney Franks, spokesman for Kirstenhof police, said no arrest had been made yet and, while the Organised Crime Unit had been informed, preliminary investigations were being done by the Kirstenhof police.

Franks said this was the first such incident reported to the Kirstenhof police in the past "month or two". The policing of the greater Constantia area is divided between the Kirstenhof, Diep River and Wynberg police stations.