Cape Town - Rondebosch Common users have been urged to remain vigilant and practise safety in numbers, following recent crime incidents.
On Sunday, an elderly woman was physically attacked while walking her dog, which prompted the Rondebosch station commander’s office to release a statement cautioning users of the Common.
The incident took place at around 11.15am.
According to the statement, the woman bumped into the man and apologised, thereafter the suspect told the woman to give him her phone.
When she said she did not have it, the suspect searched her and only found her car keys. The suspect then pulled out a knife and pulled the woman towards him.
“The complainant tried to pull herself out of her jacket, but he dragged her to the ground.
“The complainant started to yell and scream as loud as she could but he threatened her with the knife to stop and pushed the knife in her mouth.”
The woman sustained lacerations to her tongue, right hand and the back of her head.
The suspect fled the scene and the woman was transported to hospital for medical attention.
Police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana confirmed that a case of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm was being investigated. Ward councillor Katherine Christie said it was the worst case at the Common she had heard in her two-and-ahalf years as councillor.
“The advice I give is to walk in pairs and not on your own and to stay away probably from that sort of graveyard/ cemetery tree area or from the bushy areas where you’re hidden from sight.
“But always, as South African women, we live in this terrible situation.
“It’s a situation where we have to make sure that when we go for walks, it’s very much in the public view.”
Other incidents reported at the Common have involved theft from vehicles.
Any suspicious behaviour can be reported to Rondebosch police at 021 685 6600.
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za
Cape Argus